Legalectric

WOW, what a long strange trip this has been.  I’ve been on this since Chisago I (1996) and Arrowhead:

Arrowhead Appellate Decision

Arrowhead was exempted, and hence Buy the Farm doesn’t apply, so that went to the Appellate Court, which tossed it out.  And the 2001 statutory changes, which defined “high voltage transmission lines” as anything over 100 kV, meaning Buy the Farm would apply to 115 kV lines like SE Metro, and Chisago, but nooooo, can’t have that, so Sen. Metzen then amended in 2002 so that it only applies to lines 200 kV or over.  GRRRRRRRRRRRR.

Here’s the update in the Belle Plaine Herald (why is there nothing whatsoever in the STrib?).  GRE’s Randy Fordice claims it’s vaguely worded, but I think it’s pretty specific:

All rights and protections provided to an owner under chapter 117 apply to acquisition of land or an interest in land under this section.

DOH!  Vague my ass…

It’s a sad day in Red Wing and in Port Penn this morning.  Our neighbor Lake, who I’ve known since he was six months old, has died.

When I met him, I was down in the street in front of the house, and he and his human, Barry, came trotting down the street.  He was just a pup, and at 6 months was the size of my Katze, a year and a half old shepherd, and he was 20 pounds heavier already!  He was your typical lab pup, full of energy.  He and Katze would leap up the two retaining walls up to the house, run behind the house and around a few times, jump down, and repeat, and repeat, and repeat.  You could hear their peals of laughter and joy in being dogs.  Did I mention he was full of energy?  My other dogs weren’t as good to him, frankly, they were bitches, but Lake, lab that he is, was a gentleman always.

When I’d visit the Moens, he’d always cozy up to me, maybe smelling the treats in my pocket, or maybe just enjoying my “Eau de Shep,” and his BIG head would always rest on my knee, trusting.  He was the kind of dog you couldn’t resist hugging, who would make a good bedwarmer on a cold Minnesota night.

Poor dear didn’t do too well when I took care of him not that long ago, he drank and drank and made himself sick, WOW, his belly held a lot!!!  He recovered quickly, ready to eat more, OK, fine, Lake, but no more water!!!!

He’d been visibly slowing down, trudging along 8th Street, not wanting to run up the bluff, and recently it got to where he couldn’t do stairs (see photo, that’s a real problem) or go for walks.  Then he quit eating, where even beef and rice had no appeal.  The photo of him was his last morning, surveying his kingdom in Red Wing.

Lake, we’ll miss you, good neighbor!!!  Give my regards to our grrrrrrrrrrls Katze, Krie, Kenya and Summer who are there to meet you and show you the ropes… and bones, and venison steaks, and running paths!

Got to Delaware just in time — Matt and Linda got married today.  As Alan says, it’s good they can be together for 18 years and still want to get married!  THEY DID IT!

They’re my favorite people in Delaware, well, except for Alan of course, and Matt’s mother makes pizelles to die for!  Matt and Linda run DelPizzo Construction:

Linda and Matt are both are active environmentalists, Matt has been a primary part of Delaware Audubon for ages and they did the heavy lifting last year when Audubon gave Alan its environmental award.  Linda has amazing artistic talents, making Alan a beautiful 6 foot bright blue sequin fish costume for a hearing, and for a demonstration in Dover, flat black cut-outs, a water buffalo/pig (?) representing former Gov. Minner connected by chains and led around by the nose by a big bankster!  That’s Matt in the  tan fish outfit at the Delaware AudubonFest:

As weddings go, it was as good as it gets (well, I’m not a big fan, don’t cha know), haven’t been to a wedding in SO long… and, well, I’ve got an aversion to this day, May 18 is my anniversary, 39 years ago — I told Linda about that and she noted that she was 6 months old then.  SAY WHAT!  Whoa, talk about feeling like an old fart, we’re as old as their parents — I had no idea!  Anyway, for them, and to get some long overdue work done in DE, we hit the road.  It was in historic Odessa, Delaware, at the Corbit-Sharp House, really a complex of historic houses and a great barn for serving.  Appetizers (veggies, fruit, cheeze, bread) and sufficient ETOH to be lubricated prior to the show, a short and sweet ceremony, and on to dinner, mostly vegan, PIZELLES and the Rock Fish with Chimichurri Sauce, oh so good, the Cantwell’s Tavern did the food.  And PIZELLES!  Vegan wedding cake of carrot and pineapple (coconut and ??? frosting, maybe soy milk or soy cream cheeze?).  Have to admit, I skipped the cigar bar… and did I mention PIZELLES???!!!???

A few weeks ago when Matt was in Minnesota on an Anderson Windows junket, we corralled him for dinner, he sacrificed a tour in the pole-dancer bus, and it was clear how much he was missing Linda (well, that’s Alan and my guess anyway), they’re one of the few couples I know who are a joy to be around together.  So after 18 years, here they go, married – ’bout time!

CONGRATULATIONS, Matt & Linda!

Yes, it’s true, the snow is now gone.

Today begins a holiday weekend in SE Minnesota, well, it started yesterday, but so did the snow, so we’re getting a late start.

100 mile garage sale!

Clean up started in earnest today, they had a bucket truck, bobcat and pick up, and I woke up to a chorus of chain saws.

The office is CLOSED today!