St. Louis Suomi SASS #31905

I did - sort of. Grandmother on Father's side was Brigette Johanna Johansdoter Lilsunde - We chose Katherine (Katrinka) Brigette. Grandfather on Father's side was Kaarle Kuste Antipoika Rovia - American immigration changed this to Charles Gustav Anderson - We named first son Karl Erick Anderson. Second son got off with Kirk Frederick Anderson (new name introduced into the family). Grand kids all have Anglo-Irish or Biblical names. I am hoping great grand kids will return to Nordic names lest we lose our ethnic identity - years ago it was popular to blend - I rather like the mosaic approach. JMHO STL Suomi

Pretty darn neat! Now I can sleep at night. STL Suomi

There IS a reason that Plague exist. The Stan is were it should be employed. JMHO STL Suomi

I just ordered a couple - we'll see if they are the wide spur ones. Hopefully they will be of that genre. STL Suomi

The conductor - strange - I think I sat next to him on the Chicago Transit Authority "L" several times. Or maybe I met him at the Commuter station asking for a dollar as he was on his way to an interview.... Talented...but needs a shave... STL Suomi

I think my dog thought many of these thoughts, but he didn't write them down. Having had his dew claws removed he had no thumb to hold the pencil to write. He often reminded me of this fact when he was driving the car. Turning posed the same problem...no thumbs to hold the wheel. He made me feel guilty. STL Suomi

Having an Asian wife, I sometimes get some unusual surprises at dinner. One such item was a wonderful tasting soup which I thought was bird nest soup (I Like Bird Nest soup). However, this soup had lumps in it which were quite tasty. I did the unthinkable, I asked what kind of soup it was - NEVER ak what you are eating - Never. She replied it is some kind of special (those are the warning words to place your finger in your ears - you do not want to know what the "special" is) .... fish stomach soup. Gulp! What part is the fish stomach - of course, the part I liked best, the lumps (I had had three bowls of this stuff). After hearing the list of contents, I kinda lost interest in this soup - it was delicious, just unusual. I eat things that my father ate which were rather unusual for most Americans - Lutefisk, for one, stinks, but is edible, fish heads on the smoked chubs, not bad - a little strong, but consumable, beets - love them in any form, rutabagas and turnips - the perfect food, mashed like a potato peppered and it tastes like mashed potatoes and cabbage (bubble and squeak) - not bad at all. Scotch broth and pepper pot - two tripe based soups from Campbell - I think discontinued now - tasty. Chicken and duck feet - good ole Chinese dim sum material - gooey and tasty. Tongue sandwiches on pumpernickel with slices of onion and horseradish - Yummm-oo. Asian black fleshed five toed chickens - great. I do not like sea slugs no matter what variety and kelp snails. Shredded jelly fish - no taste - it is dried and then shredded and re-hydrated - just no taste - unusual texture though. No gizzards - please - chicken hearts - OK, if you insist. Two condiments can turn almost anything you don't like into something edible, a pepper sauce like Cholula or Texas Pete and yogurt/sour cream. Rocks become tasty with this. However Brown Norwegian goat cheese is beyond redemption. - - - then again with hot sauce there might be hope... STL Suomi

Balutes, thousand year old eggs - right up there at the top of the list. Crawdad, Langoustine internals, and brown goat cheese from Norway (UGH). And offal from any animal - Urp! STL Suomi

A lot of this touchy-feely huggy stuff is cultural. I was raised to hug my grandmother/grandfather and kiss them on the forehead as we entered their home and as we left their home. Same with my mother/father. My children are anemic at this - one follows the tradition, others not so much. Grandchildren are spotty at best with a hug. Culture changes - kinda have to go with the flow on this - it was a sign of respect that we did this. Oh well, I guess a hand shake and a grasp of the shoulder will work. :-/ STL Suomi

That fellow is quit an artist. The illusion is darn near perfect. STL Suomi

Howdy: While I was at the local Rural King, the manage got a call from one of the customers her had sold a pistol too earlier that day. It seems the individual managed to place the cartridges into his magazine backwards and place the magazine into his pistol. He discovered his error and was terrified that everything would blow up. Manager told him to just extract the magazine and push the cartridges out and try it again with the cartridges in correctly. I am not sure the customer should have a pistol if he is that untrained. Also, I think he has the heart of a rabbit and I am concerned that his reaction to the loud noise and recoil could a trigger severe reaction - like dropping the firearm. Some folks really need to be trained - it is never too late to learn. STL Suomi

I thought this was the way to drink coffee until I came to the city . We would place a sugar cube in between our lips and front teeth and sip the coffee through it. I think the older generations remember/do this. Not so much anymore. STL Suomi

Using a railroad spike as the Tattoo needle is quit effective. STL Suomi

That might be a um-yum in some parts of the upper Wisconsin/UP Mi area....:-) STL Suomi

I like grits - with butter and eggs! Always have - always will. :-) STL Suomi