Bern's Eye View

by Bernadine Hildebrant

Oh, what a beautiful morning,

And a gorgeous rest of the day.

We traveled the lakes and saw lots of great things

All from the love my friends did bring.

I spied a blue Thunderbird

And a house being built.

I know the owner of the beautiful car

But the house remains a mystery

As I saw it from afar.   

(I'll tell you owns the car. The owner's name is at the bottom of my column).    

The above little ditty was the great day I spent a couple of weeks ago, thanks to Tom and Joyce Murphy and Jim and Mary Lou Ihrke. I think I'll adopt them, as we had so much fun - (or maybe they'll adopt me!) But that wasn't the end of my memorable day. They docked their pontoon in front of Tom and Joyce's home on lower Lake Sakatah. Tom and Joyce and Jim and Mary Lou had prepared a pork chop supper, and Tom was the chief cook. I think Jim was the chief bottle washer. Needless to explain any further - a perfect ending to a perfect day spent with perfect hosts and hostesses. (To explain a bit further - Mary Lou (Murphy) Ihrke and Tom Murphy are sister and brother. Tom and Joyce purchased the home of the late Johnnie (we always called him by that name) Nelson. Thanks to all of you for another wonderful outing with equally wonderful friends.

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We  also celebrated the 7th birthday of my great-granddaughter, Jada, daughter of Natalie (Schoaf) and Zack Smith of Owatonna. With all of her friends and relatives celebrating in her honor, it was a joyful weekend  for everyone to remember.  

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Don't get paralyzed by the easy chair or couch. Get out and walk or run. I've seen three couples run past my house this morning. We too soon get easily "numbed.” My 95-year old legs and feet won't let me do that anymore. I even need help walking sometimes! For those of you who do run a lot, if you run fast enough you might be able to evade those big pesky bugs called mosquitos. I guess I'll just relax in my easy chair and watch the world roll by - and evade those flying pests. I've also seen an abundance of cars with their tops down - plus enjoying watching the dogs with their tongues hanging out inhaling the cool breeze.    

*****

Marlys Meskan brought me a piece of that Mountain Dew cake. I had the recipe in my column a few times ago, and of course I misplaced the paper with the recipe in it. She again came to my rescue and brought me the recipe. I've had several calls for it - delicious - so here it is again.

Mountain Dew Cake

1 lemon cake mix

1 box instant lemon pudding

1 can regular Mountain Dew pop

4 eggs

3/4 cup oil (I used Canola Oil)

Mix well. Spray the Bundt pan. Pour batter into pan. Bake 40 to 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool 10 minutes in pan. Remove to plate. Glaze Frosting 2 cups powdered sugar 1/2 stick butter 3 T. boiling water Mix all together and spread on cake. Enjoy!

*****

I'll tell you about  two interesting phone calls I had recently.

The phone rang. I answered it, the person calling said: “Congratulations, Bernadine. You've just won one million dollars, plus a new car. What color would you like?” I told him I'd like light blue. He said he'd be at my house in about four hours. Before he had time to hang up his phone I asked him what the rub was. He was quick to answer that there was no rub, I just needed to pay $425 for the tax on the new car. And I should have the check ready when he arrived. Then he hung up his phone. I thought that was too good to be true so I called the police. Policeman Chris Lee answered, so I told him the story. He said he was sure it was a scam, and told me "Don't answer the door or do not let the person into the house," he told me. The “person” never came, nor did the car!

Now the next scam! The phone rang a couple days later, and the man on the other end said "Congratulations, Bernadine, you've just won $450,000. Bill Gates drew your name from the hundreds of names that were placed in a hat!” Must have been a big hat. I told that person that I wasn't interested. Goodbye! Officer Lee stopped at my house the next day and gave me some information. He said people have been called from the “IRS.” Officer Lee said that if someone calls unexpectedly claiming to be from the IRS with aggressive threats if you don't pay immediately, it's a scam artist. The first IRS contact with taxpayers is usually through the mail. Taxpayers have rights. The IRS will never call to demand payment without first having mailed you a bill.

If you know you don't owe taxes, call your local police and he will give you the information you need to know. Thank you, Officer Chris Lee.

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Here's an interesting and good recipe to make when the weather is a bit cooler.

Best Baked Chicken Thighs

1/2 cup mustard

1/4 cup maple syrup (Hering's of course)

1 T. vinegar

5-6 chicken thighs

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix the mustard, maple syrup, and vinegar. Salt and pepper the thighs, then place them in a baking dish. Pour the mixture over them, turning two or three times to fully coat them. Place the baking dish with the thighs, uncovered, into the oven, and bake 40 minutes. Baste the chicken thighs two or three times with the sauce. Serve immediately, with the remaining sauce from the baking dish.

*****

BH

 P.S: The beautiful Thunderbird belongs to Buzz Cummins.