Category: Manliness

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remembering is more than not forgetting

My daughter Karla also remembers .....
My daughter Karla also remembers .....

Karla wrote about what she remembers of the day:

I was at home, at our house. I just woke up from my sleep and I was walking in the hallway to get a snack from the kitchen. I remembered that Mom or Dad was talking to a friend on the phone, saying “Oh no! Look what happened to the World Trade Center!” and then they went to their bedroom to watch the news on TV to see what happened. Karen was at school at SMU that day. Kristin was in a Officer’s Basic Course in Missouri before being stationed in Seattle at Fort Lewis. That same day I was drawing in my room and listening to my radio walkman. I was only 17 years old that day. Even so, but still. I feel very sorry for the poor families who lost their loved ones on that day. I hope a day like this never happens again. Not only the day affected the United States, but also affected most other countries altogether. We shall never forget.

Thank you Karla,

Dad

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when a house becomes a home

a house becomes a home when it reflects those who live there!
a house becomes a home when it reflects those who live there!

Before I moved into our present home ( now for 23 years), I never lived anywhere more than 3 years starting the day I was born. I am reminded that the second grade was particularly challenging in sitting in 5 different schools. This goes to say that our home was designed in what many fashionistas call  “feng shui.” This was practical since my sales manager father was constantly being moved around.

Personally, I could make our home ‘feng shui correct’ if I opened the front and back doors and attached a wind tunnel machine on one end and let it rip! However, I wouldn’t like living in a house like that. When I walk into a home designed this way, it doesn’t speak to me, it tells me nothing about the people who live there … it feels empty.

By contrast, and although a bit over the top, the Weasley home in the Harry Potter series is much loved by the cast and crew who often eat their lunch there I am told. I really can’t blame them, the home seems so warm, comfortable and inviting, it practically says… “come in and stay a while.” Ben Franklin touched on this a bit in discussing many of the attributes associated with a comfortable home: “A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body.” He also felt that a home should be added to in much the same way as we gain new experiences in our life.

I think all homes need a little of the Weasley magic….. otherwise it’s just a house.

Roger Freberg

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3 more for the freezer

3applepiesforthefreezer

Did I ever tell you we had only one apple tree? It feels like an entire orchard based on it’s personal production capacity. The scary part for me is that I have planted a second tree.

So, every other day I pick, peal, core and slice apples for either apple sauce (boOo!) or apple pies (yaaAy!). These three apple pies are fairly special with a unique and yummy topping of walnuts, pistachios, and almonds prepared with different textures. I ground some to add as a base to the cinnamon, sugar and butter topping… while others were ‘carmelized.’

So, all of my preparing has had an unwanted side effect in gaining a few pounds… so it’s back on Jenny Craig a few weeks more… then… woah! apple pie ala mode!

Roger Freberg

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have a great 4th

remembering those who make the 4th possible
remembering those who make the 4th possible

Well, I am planning to have a great fourth of July… especially when it comes to food. Laura has asked me to fix something very exotic…. American Hamburgers! Oh yeah! Now, science has shown us that this interesting cuisine goes down especially well with Greek Beer so I will have plenty on-hand ( I have some left overs from my corned beef curing process).

Thanks to the men and women who make this celebration possible.

Have fun!

Roger Freberg

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happy father’s day 2009

my favorite lunch of artichoke, breadsticks with marinara
my favorite lunch of artichoke, breadsticks with marinara

I’d like to wish a ‘Happy Father’s Day’ to all the men out there who proudly accept their roles as fathers. Being a dad can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience and it can tax every fiber of your existence. However, psychologists have shown how valuable having a ‘daddy’ is to raising children, they turn out better… sorry ladies, that’s just the facts. Kristin, Karen and Karla have made being a daddy a pleasure… thank you , ladies.

So, on my Father’s Day, I made my favorite lunch of artichoke, homemade spicy bread sticks with  my Marinara Sauce… very yummy. Laura has decided to take over the kitchen to make my lower calorie favorite dinner.. stuffed bell peppers!

Ah, I hope Father’s Day is as wonderful for all of you dads out there!

Roger Freberg