Sweet Martha:)

Yesterday afternoon a friend called with a last minute invitation to her culinary group  meeting for a buffet dinner and to hear the real "Sweet Matha" give a talk.  It was great.  If you don't know Sweet Martha's Cookie Jar cookies at the Minnesota State Fair I am sorry for you.  This is Alex at 18 months old after eating many chocolate chip cookies out of the bucket.  Martha and her husband started with Sweet Martha's yogurt in 1979 at 7th and Hennepin downtown (bar scene area:)).  The cookie crumbs topping the frozen yogurt were the hit so they appplied for a little booth at the state fair - got in  - had 3 weeks to figure out how to do cookies.  Today they take the #1 spot in food sales, in ovens on site bake 24,000 cookies in 12 minutes, use 40 tons of flour and 35 tons of chips during the 12 days of the fair, average sales 1 million cookies per day.  (The yogurt shop only lasted a year!).  Martha was a former art teacher and just retired last year - she designed the logos.  Dough is sold in Minnesota groceries and now Target in MN with hopes to expand to other states.  Go, Martha!!!

Another beautiful artwork from Rooke - very intricate Valentine bug.  Snowshoes on loan from Amy and Chris - I had to watch a youtube and then figure out how to strap them on - I'm now ready to try it with a friend.  Youtube guy says "If you can walk, you can snowshoe",  Amy says "Don't slide, lift your feet".  And yes, those are my feet in the yellow polk dot socks.

Ross turned 70 this week - unbelievable but true and in this day of instant rewards Chris sent a birthday email to him from Alex's hockey rink.  On another note as I was looking for an old picture I found this one of Rooke's first Halloween - I can tell she is so happy at about 2 months old.

I have also learned new things I can take on a plane:  brass knuckles, live monkeys, cremation ashes - I will probably stick with the cheese and sun dried tomatoes.

Also learned that online site Project Gutenberg has 40,000 free ebooks and I now have one on my phone so I can read in random places.

Reading my "Chinese Driving....." novel which now has a waiting list at the library:  Sign on a rural school:  "Man and machines are the same; if they keep moving they don't rust".

Yesterday got an email from one of our courageous dinner friends who is a docent/tour guide/former art teacher inviting me to lunch and on her tour  called "Love and Scandal" at the city art institute - at least it was not an invite to talk about the subject over lunch!