The NFC B-Day Chat Thread

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Good morning, everyone! @sharron, push. I know it’s hard - we go in with the best intentions and then we sort of melt and suddenly just find ourselves nodding instead of speaking up. I do it all the time, UNLESS I steel myself and force those words, “I want (this test) run for my own peace of mind.” But it’s hard to do that sometimes when the doctor is a fast talker who already thinks he has all the answers.

Have fun at the fair, DMC! The one up in Billings just got hammered with high winds and hail. What a mess!!

I’m feeling much better. Just had a temporary pity party going but they never last long. Thanks, guys! I got a real boost when our final figures came in. We had a budget of $17,000 to spend exclusively for the Grand Lodge communication. We took in $17,120 in revenue. Our total expenses - all of the food, banquet services, our hospitality room supplies, table decorations (except my ladies’ lunch and the head table at the Master Masons’ banquet which I made), all of the meeting rooms, the entire hotel, stages and microphones rentals, and comped rooms and meals came to a grand total of 13,754.81. Our Grand Secretary and Grand Treasurer are very happy with us, let me tell you! Expenses coming in under budget and revenue over budget just doesn’t happen!! We comped our room, Jenny’s room, Tam’s room, and our secretary’s room, and we comped all of the kids’ meals.

On top of that I ran our silent auction, and raised over $3000 for Epidermolysis Bullosa treatment at the Masonic Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis. EB is “the worst disease you’ve never heard of” and I knew years ago that it would be my charity for the year, in loving memory of our little Raul. Silent Auction proceeds in the past have averaged between $1000 and $1500 so I was thrilled!

Our final banquet of Grand Lodge on Monday night was a “black tie affair” and we didn’t care what kind of tie, where it was worn, or what it was worn with. Guests had to have a black tie somewhere and if they didn’t they were fined $5.00. Ken was the MC that night, and we had a traveling mic, which he promptly placed in my hand with orders to find the “offenders and collect their due”. What a blast that was!! I went from table to table, checking for non-compliance and making the offenders stand. There were surprisingly few - one bald guy had taped his tie to the top of his head. Most folks got into the spirit and were really creative with how and where they wore a black tie! There were pipe cleaner ties and hair bow ties, tuxedo ties worn with t-shirts, just anything you can imagine. One man wore a necktie around his head like a headband, which proved later to be the most hilarious but serious moment of the night! I walked around those tables like a barker at a carnival - “Come on, Forbis....either show me your tie or your wallet!” “Phil, tie or cash, what’s it gonna be...” “Kathie, don’t make me look for that tie....” I had a blast, collected some fines, and a lot of folks had ties but donated anyway -generously. So that little enterprise netted us $1200 to split between the Job’s Daughters and DeMolay, our two Masonic Youth Groups.

Now for the serious hilarity. We have a member from Jackson, Wyoming....he’s a tall, skinny dude and I swear he looks like a chicken and walks like a chicken. He’s gangly and clumsy and he can never seem to stop his nervous chatter. But no matter what the event or Masonic body, he’s there and he works hard! He’s just always there in the background, getting things done. The Grand Master’s responsibility is to choose the winner of the Ewing T. Kerr award, Master Mason of the Year. I knew who was getting it, of course, so from across the room I tried to train my camera on him without being obvious. I was standing in front by Ken, still holding my traveling mic. Ken announced that his selection for MM of the year was Chris Schroeder. I’ve heard but never truly seen the “deer in the headlights” expression until Chris jumped up in total shock, and then couldn’t make himself turn to the front or take a step. He just stood there, with that ridiculous necktie around his head, staring. Ken had to ask him twice to come up front, and finally Chris’ crying wife stood up, literally turned his body and gave him a little push to get him started. Ken presented the award, Chris grabbed him, and sobbed all over Ken’s shoulder. He’d stop, start to stand, then collapse back on Ken, still crying. Ken finally got him disengaged and to break through to Chris I used the traveling mic and said, “Give us a few words, Chris.” “I can’t....” he sobbed! Well, everybody was so caught up in the moment that none of us thought to have him take the tie off his head for the official photographs. Oops! Those photos go in the Proceedings Publication after a Grand Lodge. Sorry Chris! Hehehehe. I had to upload these full sized....his expressions and the tie just make the photos and I wanted to be sure I’d chosen the most telling ones. I missed the shot, though, where he finally looked up and realized he was being given a standing ovation! Rats!!

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Blooie said:
Good morning, everyone! @sharron, push. I know it’s hard - we go in with the best intentions and then we sort of melt and suddenly just find ourselves nodding instead of speaking up. I do it all the time, UNLESS I steel myself and force those words, “I want (this test) run for my own peace of mind.” But it’s hard to do that sometimes when the doctor is a fast talker who already thinks he has all the answers.

Have fun at the fair, DMC! The one up in Billings just got hammered with high winds and hail. What a mess!!

I’m feeling much better. Just had a temporary pity party going but they never last long. Thanks, guys! I got a real boost when our final figures came in. We had a budget of $17,000 to spend exclusively for the Grand Lodge communication. We took in $17,120 in revenue. Our total expenses - all of the food, banquet services, our hospitality room supplies, table decorations (except my ladies’ lunch and the head table at the Master Masons’ banquet which I made), all of the meeting rooms, the entire hotel, stages and microphones rentals, and comped rooms and meals came to a grand total of 13,754.81. Our Grand Secretary and Grand Treasurer are very happy with us, let me tell you! Expenses coming in under budget and revenue over budget just doesn’t happen!! We comped our room, Jenny’s room, Tam’s room, and our secretary’s room, and we comped all of the kids’ meals.

On top of that I ran our silent auction, and raised over $3000 for Epidermolysis Bullosa treatment at the Masonic Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis. EB is “the worst disease you’ve never heard of” and I knew years ago that it would be my charity for the year, in loving memory of our little Raul. Silent Auction proceeds in the past have averaged between $1000 and $1500 so I was thrilled!

Our final banquet of Grand Lodge on Monday night was a “black tie affair” and we didn’t care what kind of tie, where it was worn, or what it was worn with. Guests had to have a black tie somewhere and if they didn’t they were fined $5.00. Ken was the MC that night, and we had a traveling mic, which he promptly placed in my hand with orders to find the “offenders and collect their due”. What a blast that was!! I went from table to table, checking for non-compliance and making the offenders stand. There were surprisingly few - one bald guy had taped his tie to the top of his head. Most folks got into the spirit and were really creative with how and where they wore a black tie! There were pipe cleaner ties and hair bow ties, tuxedo ties worn with t-shirts, just anything you can imagine. One man wore a necktie around his head like a headband, which proved later to be the most hilarious but serious moment of the night! I walked around those tables like a barker at a carnival - “Come on, Forbis....either show me your tie or your wallet!” “Phil, tie or cash, what’s it gonna be...” “Kathie, don’t make me look for that tie....” I had a blast, collected some fines, and a lot of folks had ties but donated anyway -generously. So that little enterprise netted us $1200 to split between the Job’s Daughters and DeMolay, our two Masonic Youth Groups.

Now for the serious hilarity. We have a member from Jackson, Wyoming....he’s a tall, skinny dude and I swear he looks like a chicken and walks like a chicken. He’s gangly and clumsy and he can never seem to stop his nervous chatter. But no matter what the event or Masonic body, he’s there and he works hard! He’s just always there in the background, getting things done. The Grand Master’s responsibility is to choose the winner of the Ewing T. Kerr award, Master Mason of the Year. I knew who was getting it, of course, so from across the room I tried to train my camera on him without being obvious. I was standing in front by Ken, still holding my traveling mic. Ken announced that his selection for MM of the year was Chris Schroeder. I’ve heard but never truly seen the “deer in the headlights” expression until Chris jumped up in total shock, and then couldn’t make himself turn to the front or take a step. He just stood there, with that ridiculous necktie around his head, staring. Ken had to ask him twice to come up front, and finally Chris’ crying wife stood up, literally turned his body and gave him a little push to get him started. Ken presented the award, Chris grabbed him, and sobbed all over Ken’s shoulder. He’d stop, start to stand, then collapse back on Ken, still crying. Ken finally got him disengaged and to break through to Chris I used the traveling mic and said, “Give us a few words, Chris.” “I can’t....” he sobbed! Well, everybody was so caught up in the moment that none of us thought to have him take the tie off his head for the official photographs. Oops! Those photos go in the Proceedings Publication after a Grand Lodge. Sorry Chris! Hehehehe. I had to upload these full sized....his expressions and the tie just make the photos and I wanted to be sure I’d chosen the most telling ones. I missed the shot, though, where he finally looked up and realized he was being given a standing ovation! Rats!!

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Blooie, excellent results for all your hard work (and Ken's too of course)!

Loved the story about the Jackson man...what a moment to capture :thumbsup
 
Going to go get some stuff done outside because it is gorgeous and not very hot, only 70, high of 73, and the next few days are supposed to be 70s too, whereas next week is supposed to be high 80s, or at least the beginning of the week, so I should probably get something done outside while it’s not too hot here.

Also we have EEE and West Nile here so I can’t really go outside once it starts getting dark or before it gets light in the morning anymore so I gotta do stuff mid day unless I wear bug spray and even then it’s risky so should probably go outside now and then do some of the inside stuff at dusk.

There’s been one case around here so far this year of a human infected and some mosquitoes in the next town over tested positive for one of the bad diseases, forget which one, so dangerous to be out. And a few years ago there was a really really bad case and that person died. So just not safe.

Plus I should get some sunlight and fresh air anyway. :lau :hide
 
sharron said:
i make a salad of just cucumbers, tomatoes and sweet onions, sometime times i use the olive garden dressing to soak them in and sometimes balsamic dressing, husband uses ranch when not using olive garden, he also uses slices of tomatoes on top of his home grown green beans, either way, they;re so good:)
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I Throw sliced cucumber and Sliced onions into a container and fill it part way with vinegar and a little dill pickle juice. And Salt pepper and ground garlic or fresh sliced garlic.... After about an hour you can use the sliced onions on sandwiches or saute along with fish... I lay it on the bottom of the pan and lay the fisth on top... and do a steam saute... not qite poached but you just put a lid over and cook genltly...
The fish cooks in its own juices or you can drizzle a little bit of chicken stock in the pan...

After a Day the cucumber and onions can be used in salads or with sliced tomato and Fresh Mozzarella slices Basil Sliced up and drizzled with a bit of Basalmic Good olive oil... And Craked pepper and sea salt..... Caprese salads are to die for...

You can also do Caprese Salads with Fresh slices of mozzerella Slices of peaches or fruit Some berries Sliced up basil and Basalmic and olive oil
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with peaches either grilled or not grilled

Grilled-Peach-Caprese-Salad1.jpg


deb
 

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