Dance With Jesus

Here's a link to a dance that Monica choreographed and performed in church on Sunday. The song is "Untitled Hymn: Come to Jesus" by Chris Rice. It's very moving:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKB6SOLDwFU

Riddle #37: Shoe Shopping

Here's the latest riddle:

A man places a classified ad in the newspaper. As a result, he goes shoe shopping with a total stranger on a regular basis. Why?

The correct answer has been guessed. To see it, please see the comments section.

Lateral Thinking Puzzlers by Paul Sloane has lots of classic riddles, clues and answers. Click here to order it.

Riddle #36: Tail lights

Here's the latest riddle. I think this one will be easy. My kids got it right away.

A teenage boy picks up a tire wrench and breaks the tail lights in a car that doesn't belong to him. But when the police find out, they do not give him a ticket. Instead, they arrest the owner of the car. Why?

The correct answer has been guessed. To read it, see the comments.

Lateral Thinking Puzzlers by Paul Sloane has lots of classic riddles, clues and answers. Click here to order it.

Riddle #35: The cabin

Here's the latest riddle (sorry I'm late putting it up):

You are hiking in the mountains. You discover a cabin with two dead people in it. Immediately you know the cause of death. Although there is no food in the cabin, they did not die of hunger. Although it is cold in the cabin, they did not die of hypothermia or exposure. What was the cause of death?

The correct answer has been guessed. To read it, see the comments section.

Lateral Thinking Puzzlers by Paul Sloane has lots of classic riddles, clues and answers. Click here to order it.

A fiction story I wrote

I'm pleased to say that my fiction story, "Stuck in the Snow," has been published in the December issue of Pockets magazine, and they chose my story for their webpage. You can read it at: http://www.upperroom.org/pockets/story.asp?act=view_story&StoryID=629476

Evert's New Model Railroading Blog

My husband has started a new blog about model railroading. Check it out here:

http://thebigemodelrr.blogspot.com/

Riddle #34: From Australia

A truckers convention hosted truckers from all over North America and also Australia. As people were mingling around and talking, one of the truckers said to the other one: "Oh, I see the Australian truckers are over there. I'm going to go and talk with them." He had not heard the Australian truckers talking, and they did not have nametags or any specific clothing that distinguished them as Australian. How did he know they were Australian?

The correct answer to the riddle has been guessed. To read it, see the comments section.

Lateral Thinking Puzzlers by Paul Sloane has lots of classic riddles, clues and answers. Click here to order it.

Riddle #33: The Older Twin

One day Susie celebrated her birthday. Two days later her older twin brother, Sam, celebrated his birthday. How is this possible?

NOTE: The correct answer has been guessed. To read it, see the comments section.

Lateral Thinking Puzzlers by Paul Sloane has lots of classic riddles, clues and answers. Click here to order it.

Iditarod Fantasy Photos

I had some time on my hands one day, so at the suggestion of one of my Iditabuddies at the bssd forum, I decided to make some Iditarod Fantasy Photos. I used Printmaster, which is pretty easy to use. Come join me on my fantasy trip to the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race:

Here I am as an Iditarider on Dee Dee Jonrowe's sled. Dee Dee is one of my favorite mushers. Although she has never won the race, she has come in second place twice, and she always runs a competitive race. In everything she does, you can sense her kindness, the love for her dogs, her joyful spirit and her strong Christian faith. She participates in one of the toughest sports, but she's always a lady. A breast cancer survivor, she wears pink for breast cancer awareness.

Every year, people bid for the privilege of riding with a musher for the 11 miles of the race's ceremonial start in Anchorage. Bidding for the 2009 race starts December 1, and it will be interesting to see how high the bids go. However, even if I could afford it, I don't have a chance of being Dee Dee's Iditarider in 2009. That privilege has been purchased in advance of the auction for a "mere" $7500.

A quote from Dee Dee: "I don't want to live safe, I want to live full."

While on my fantasy trip, I met Martin Buser, another one of my favorite mushers. Originally from Switzerland, Martin decided to become a U.S. citizen on 9/11 because "this country is worth fighting for." Martin holds the record for the fastest Iditarod ever (8 days, 22 hours, 46 minutes and 2 seconds, "but who's counting?"), which he raced in 2002, right before being sworn in as a U.S. citizen under the burled arch at the finish line.

Like anyone who is successful, Martin works hard to achieve his goals, but he always keeps a good sense of humor. In 2008 he caused quite a stir when he gave his GPS unit to a pilot and fans wondered what was going on. One of my favorite photos of Martin is when he came into a checkpoint doing a Hula dance after a particularly frustrating run. He whistles and sings to his dogs to encourage them, and he even rigged a giant hamster wheel ("doggie wheel") to help his dogs exercise in the kennel. He and his wife named their sons Nikolai and Rohn, after two Iditarod checkpoints.

A favorite Martin quote: "If everywhere you go is your favorite place, you 're always happy to be there."

Well, I decided that cats can have fantasies too. Here are our two precious kitties, Misty and Moggle as lead dogs . . . er . . . lead cats in the Iditarod. Do you think that if I shook a treat can, like a carrot on a stick, that I could get my cats to run a thousand miles through the snow?

This last photo was created by Brian, an Idita-buddy from the forum. It's a picture of several Idita-buddies under the famed burled arch finish line with mushers Martin Buser, Melanie Gould, Dee Dee Jonrowe, and Lance Mackey (the reigning Iditarod champ). It does seem to be rather strange that the fans are dressed for nice weather, but the mushers (except for Martin) are dressed for an Alaska winter.

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Riddle #32 - The 911 call

Late at night an old man was driving on the freeway in a big city when he felt a pain in his chest. "It's a heart attack!" he groaned, and he pulled off at the next exit. He found himself in the middle of a residential area, and he had no clue where he was. He didn't remember which exit he took or even which direction he was going. Unfortunately, he did not have On-Star. He did manage to find his cell phone and call 911.

"I'm having a heart attack," he said to the 911 operator.

"Where are you?" she asked.

"I don't know. All I know is that I'm in a residential area, with cars parked in front and behind me."

"Can you see any street signs?"

"I can't see any from here, and I can't move," he replied. The pain from the heart attack had essentially paralyzed him.

"Try honking your horn and see if someone comes out," she instructed.

Nothing happened.

Then she asked him one more question. After he answered the question, the ambulance was there within minutes. What was the question?

NOTE: The correct answer to the riddle has been guessed. To read it, see the comments section.

Back to main blog page

Lateral Thinking Puzzlers by Paul Sloane has lots of classic riddles, clues and answers. Click here to order it.

Time for a New Profile Picture

My previous profile picture was modeled after a Daughtry album. I liked it, but if you want to know the truth, I didn't even own the album.

So when the new David Cook
album came out, I decided to celebrate my creating a profile picture modeled after his album, which I do own.

My daughter took the photo of me. It was hard getting that serious look down. Then I used a program called Printmaster to create the album cover. Does this make me a fangirl?

The original is below. What do you think?

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Riddle #31: The Phone Call

Here's the latest riddle. I'm thinking this one may be a bit harder and may require some questions and answers, but you never know. Here goes:

A man is having problems sleeping. He makes a phone call, says nothing, hangs up, and after that he is able to sleep. Why?

NOTE: The answer to the riddle has been guessed. To read it, see the comments section.

Back to main blog page

Lateral Thinking Puzzlers by Paul Sloane has lots of classic riddles, clues and answers. Click here to order it.

Pleasure Driving

For my birthday this year, our friend Ben took the whole family pleasure driving with his Suffolk draft horse named Red Rock Surge.

It was one of those fall days when you wanted to stay outdoors forever, and the leaves were just starting to change in the park where we went riding. People stopped to observe this strange sight: an old-fashioned horse pulling a cart, which incidentally was designed by the Amish for agricultural use.

The Suffolk draft horses are bred for agriculture, Ben explained. They are smaller and shorter than other horses, and they "pull like crazy." Surge certainly seemed to enjoy pulling us as much as we enjoyed the ride.

Ben tries to go out driving as much as he can. He says it's relaxing to spend time outdoors and be by himself with nature.

It was fun to watch him interact with Surge and see how the horse responded to him. Because I'm a big fan of sled dog racing, I thought it was pretty cool to hear him use the familiar terms "Gee" (right) and "Haw" (left) that I've heard on Iditarod videos.

Afterwards, we waited at the stable, while Ben washed and fed Surge. Taking care of a horse is quite a responsibility. The wait gave me a good chance to chat with Ben's wife, RoJean, who has become a great friend.

And then? We all went out for good old Nebraska barbecue. A satisfying way to celebrate my birthday.

Riddle #30: Only One Obeyed

Here's the next riddle:

A woman told all four of her children to do something, but only one obeyed. But the one who obeyed had to go sit in a chair, while the other three children got to continue the game they were playing. Why?

NOTE: The correct answer has been guessed. To read it, see the comments section.

Lateral Thinking Puzzlers by Paul Sloane has lots of classic riddles, clues and answers. Click here to order it.

Riddle #29: Water and Milk

You have two buckets: one is completely filled with water and one is completely filled with milk. Your goal is to fill each bucket with one half water and one half milk. When you are done, each bucket needs to be completely filled -- you cannot lose any of the liquid in this task. What makes this task difficult is this: You are not allowed pour the liquid into any other container. (And before you ask, no you cannot hold any liquid in your mouth and then spit it out.)

How do you complete this task?

The answer to this riddle has been guessed. To read it, see the comments section.

Lateral Thinking Puzzlers by Paul Sloane has lots of classic riddles, clues and answers. Click here to order it.

Riddle #28: The heir

The king dies. A call goes out to locate his long-lost son, who ran away years ago. Two men show up, both claiming to be the son. It has been a long time, and the king's advisors no longer recognize the man. One of them suggests that each man do a blood test to determine which one is the true heir. The first man agrees, but the second one refuses. The king's advisors announce that the second man is the true heir. Why?

NOTE: The correct answer has been guessed. To read it, see the comments section.

Lateral Thinking Puzzlers by Paul Sloane has lots of classic riddles, clues and answers. Click here to order it.

Ted Kooser on Poetry

Monica and I attended a poetry writing workshop at the Homestead National Monument near Beatrice, Nebraska. Pulitzer Prize winning poet and former U.S. Poet Lauriate Ted Kooser was the speaker. He worked at an insurance company for his day job, eventually working his way up to a vice president. “In business sometimes you just sort of float to the top like a corpse full of gas,” he said.

Now retired from the insurance business, he writes every day, but he said he writes well only two or three days per month. He uses an artist’s sketchbook to write his poetry. He likes the rough feel of the unlined paper, and he often doodles as part of the writing process. As he comes up with usable lines, he types them on the computer, prints them out, cuts out the lines and pastes them in his sketchbook. Then he continues to write. Often he’ll go back to something he rejected. That’s why it’s better to write poetry on paper rather than the computer. His poems typically go through 30 revisions, in his case going from obscurity and difficulty to clarity and simplicity.

In writing poetry, it’s best to present the experience and let the audience respond. Don’t say how you feel. Come up with imagery to describe it. Above all, don’t moralize. Don’t say, “You have just eaten a piece of chocolate cake, and I want you to think about the value of chocolate cake in today’s world.”

The senses are important, especially the sense of smell. “When you’re writing, if you can get a whiff of something, it comes to life,” he said.

What makes poetry stand out is not the typical details, but the unique things that you experience, the unexpected detail that doesn’t belong in a scene. At an abandoned farmhouse, you might expect to see a rusty wheelbarrow and broken windows, but not a brightly colored Big Wheel.

He doesn’t put himself in his poems. He is the observer, the person in the corner of the coffeehouse, just watching.

Rhymes still have a place in today’s poems, but you have to be careful so that your rhyming poem isn’t too silly. Richard Wilbur writes some excellent rhyming poems.

Be careful of having your metaphors go off in different directions. “Once you introduce shrapnel into a poem, you can’t have an ice cream cone in it.” (Now there's a memorable Kooser quote!)

The most important way to learn to write poetry: Read poems!

Here are the poems Monica and I wrote that day:

The Bird
By Marcia W. Claesson

What is that bird saying?
Is it warning of danger from park visitors,
Jean-clad creatures with backpacks and legal pads,
Staring at brown splotches on the hackberry leaves,
Struggling to describe switchgrass in a new way.

Or is it celebrating the end of summer,
As a lone cottonwood seed floats past looking for a home,
In this small remaining bit of grass and trees,
Close enough to hear the whining of wheels behind the electric buzz of the grasshoppers.

(Ted Kooser said he liked the line about the brown splotches on the hackberry leaves.)


The Spider
by Monica Claesson
I once stopped to rest inside
a clouded nook,
that reaches for every leathered toe
of every careless step;
That’s always the first to pool with rain,
or to lock away
the exiled tears of a girl
who dropped her ice-cream when she tripped.
I lurked there, and stared into a glistening stone
prominent in those lifeless concrete walls,
like a lonely walnut
in a stale and molded cake.
But it gave me no life.
I sipped the salt of sour mud that drilled a spiral road
through the stony air
and to my door.
But then the echos from the footfalls, plummeted
towards me on that path,
on that crusade.
Tremors stung inside my legs until
I collapsed into a bed-ridden star,
before I could crawl
to a safer fortress.

And now I dream forever
of where I might stretch a quiet lace.
To filter the echos, and lick up the dew,
to harness the polished insects
who think the government still owns that golden shaft
between this tree, and that bush.
But I’d make sure they know
that I bought this estate
I paid for it like a fair gentleman should.
But I will never now,
because I chose to nestle for a moment
in a woeful roadside cleft.

(Ted Kooser said Monica had a real talent and she should keep writing.)


Here are some pictures I took at the Homestead National Monument of America

Riddle #27: The Letter

You are at an antique sale, and a man is trying to sell you a letter. "This is from Woodrow Wilson," he says. "It is dated 1918, and President Wilson sent this letter to my grandfather."

This is what the letter says: "Dear Colonel Jones: Because of your bravery during World War I, we are presenting you with this medal of honor. Thank you for serving your country. Your courage is an inspiration to many. Sincerely, President Woodrow Wilson."

You look at the letter a minute, then announce: "This is obviously a fake." How do you know?

NOTE: The correct answer has been guessed. To read it, see the comments section.

Lateral Thinking Puzzlers by Paul Sloane has lots of classic riddles, clues and answers. Click here to order it.

Pumpkin Carving Party

We recently went to a pumpking carving party. Carmen made a scene, with a sunrise and trees.

Monica made a Winnie the Pooh.

Of course, I had to make -- what else -- a dogsled. I won 2nd place in the "scene" category -- well, it was 2nd place out of 3 entries.

Evert won 2nd place in the "Silliest Face" category. Can you guess whose face this is? Clue: A famous person, vaguely related to dogsledding. If you have a guess, leave it in the comments section.

For more pictures from the party, see: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=53201&l=9cb14&id=629661480

Riddle #26: The purchase

This one should be fairly easy.

A woman went to a store to make a purchase. She asked the clerk: "How much would 1 cost?"

"That would be 1 dollar," he replied.

"How much would 12 cost?"

"That would be 2 dollars."

"What about 128?"

"That would be 3 dollars."

What was she purchasing?

There are actually two (or maybe more) possible answers. The one I'm thinking of is a common item you probably see every day.

NOTE: The correct answer has been guessed. To see it, read the comments section.

Lateral Thinking Puzzlers by Paul Sloane has lots of classic riddles, clues and answers. Click here to order it.

The Sea of Red

No, not the Red Sea -- the Sea of Red. Everyone who lives in Nebraska knows what that is: the phenomenon of football fans and "Big Red Fever." I got to experience that last Saturday at the Nebraska-New Mexico State game. I hadn't been to a game since my college days, and it was fun to be a part of the action again.




After the first score, the fans let go hundreds of red balloons. It's really amazing to watch.

Nebraska fans are some of the most devoted fans in the country. I'm convinced that the noise we made was a factor in our defense. It was fun to be a part of that.





At the same time, Nebraska fans are known for their hospitality towards opposing fans. While on vacation a man from Oklahoma noticed my Nebraska hat and told me about the time he had attended a Nebraska game and had to use the restroom. He approached the long line of red-clad fans with apprehension. But someone noticed the colors he was wearing and shouted, "Here's an Oklahoma fan!."

"It was like the parting of the Red Sea," the Oklahoma fan said. "I've never seen anything like it."

Our new coach, Bo Pelini, has brought back much of the energy and excitement and Nebraska values. He also brought back Coach Ron Brown, who reinstituted the post-game prayer circle. He invites any interested football players, including those from the opposing team, to join him. As you can see, many of them knelt down as Coach Brown led in prayer.


For more Nebraska spirit, check out my videos of the band:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrC7BFL8pm8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n3kqxZ8f0M

Riddle #25: The fishing rod

Here's another riddle:

A boy gets on a bus with a fishing rod he just bought at the store. The rod is 5 feet long.

The bus driver says, "I'm sorry, but you can't take that on the bus."

"Why?" the boy asks.

"There's a city ordinance stating that you can't carry packages on the bus that are longer than 4 feet."

"Well, what if I stand it on edge. Then it's five feet high, but not five feet long," the boy says.

"Very funny, fellow. That won't work either. It's still five feet one way, and so you can't take it on the bus."

The boy goes back to the store to return the fishing rod, but the clerk says all sales are final. So he thinks a while and then he finds a way that he can take the fishing rod on the bus legally. He does not alter it in any way. He does not break it, fold it or collapse it. How does he get it on the bus?

NOTE: The correct answer has been guessed. To read it, please see the comments section of this post.

Lateral Thinking Puzzlers by Paul Sloane has lots of classic riddles, clues and answers. Click here to order it.

Monica's State Fair Artwork

Just a bit of motherly bragging. This year Monica's drawing won "Best of Division" at the state fair. She's standing next to it in the photo -- it's a self-portrait; can you tell? She also got a blue ribbon for her water color painting next to it, which is a painting of a young friend of ours.

Riddle #24: The package

Here's a new riddle that hopefully won't be so easy, but I may be proven wrong.

You need to send an important object to a friend in Russia in a locked box but you cannot send the key separately or along with the package or else the KGB (Russian secret police) will confiscate it. How do you do it?

NOTE: The correct answer has been guessed. To read it, see the Comments section.

Lateral Thinking Puzzlers by Paul Sloane has lots of classic riddles, clues and answers. Click here to order it.

You're never too old to be a fangirl

My mother (age 87) is a fan of Malley Keelan, a local Irish tenor. She loves watching the show he hosts on TV every Saturday night, and she loves listening to him sing. She even looked up information about him on the internet and found out all about his family. She printed out one of the songs he sings, so she could play it on the piano.

So when I heard he was going to be the featured soloist at an outdoor band concert, I asked if she wanted to go. "Oh, yes," she replied. We sat in the front row and enjoyed the concert. Afterwards my mother approached the stage with her walker. I strode on ahead and called out: "Malley, can you come meet my mother? She's a big fan of yours." (I remembered Malley from visits to his record store years ago, though I doubt he remembered me.)



He was a very gracious "star." He came over and gave her a big hug, then stood for a while and talked with her. I snapped the pictures, and then sent them to my brother, who added them to the photos in her Ceiva (digital picture frame). Imagine her surprise when the photos of her with Malley appeared the next day. She didn't even know I had taken them.

Now, if only it was that easy to meet David Cook . . .

Riddle 23: The Stranger

A husband and wife are traveling on a deserted road when they run out of gas. The husband leaves the wife in the car to go get gas. He makes sure the doors are locked and the windows are closed before he leaves. But when he returns, there is a stranger in the car with his wife. His wife did not unlock the doors or open the windows while he was gone. Who is the stranger and how did he get there?

NOTE: The correct answer has been guessed. To read it, see the comments section.

Lateral Thinking Puzzlers by Paul Sloane has lots of classic riddles, clues and answers. Click here to order it.

Our first movie!

Well, it had to happen sometime. Our family (plus a couple of friends) made a movie. We call our production company "Celtic Mouthwash" and we have our first debut on YouTube. It's a "horror" movie filmed -- where else -- in a cornfield. To see "Cornelius and the Ethical Vegetarian," click on this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz9i5Uu3qBo

Oh, and make sure to watch the bloopers at the end. And be sure to take note of my classic line that has to do with a chicken pot pie, a line that one reviewer called a "cinematic classic" on par with, "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in the world, she walks into mine."

Riddle #22: The Hats

You are a prisoner and you are totally blind. The warden takes you and three others into a room and tells you that each of you will have the opportunity to be set free. He puts a blindfold on the other two prisoners (no need to put one on you), and makes this announcement:



"I have three white hats and two red hats. I will place a hat on each of your heads and remove the blindfold. If you can tell me what color hat is on YOUR OWN head, then you will be set free. However, if you are incorrect, then you will be executed."



He places a hat on each of your heads and removes the blindfolds. The first prisoner looks at you and the second prisoner and says, "I cannot tell what color hat is on my head." The second prisoner looks at you and the first prisoner and says, "I cannot tell what color hat is on my head."



You think about it for a minute and then, even though you are blind, you correctly deduce what color hat is on your own head. What color hat is it and how did you figure it out?



NOTE: The correct answer has been guessed. To read it, see the comments section.

Lateral Thinking Puzzlers by Paul Sloane has lots of classic riddles, clues and answers. Click here to order it.

Riddle #21: Her husband

This one should be fairly easy.

A woman shoots her husband; then she holds him under water for five minutes; and finally she hangs him. But five minutes later the two of them go out to dinner and have a wonderful evening. How is this possible?

NOTE: This riddle has been guessed. I told you it was easy. To see the answer, read the comments.

Just a heads up: There will be no riddle next week.

Lateral Thinking Puzzlers by Paul Sloane has lots of classic riddles, clues and answers. Click here to order it.

3rd of July Party!

The third of July is a much bigger holiday for us than the fourth of July. It started with the block parties in our old neighborhood. When we moved to our present house, we discovered that our dead-end street was a perfect place to blow up things, and so we decided to host a fireworks party on the third of July. It has taken on a life of its own, and our friends plan their holiday around it. This year we had a total of 47 people at our house! This photo shows the young women.

My pyromaniac husband had a "blast" (pun intended) shooting off things with the young men.

When I say everyone came, I mean EVERYONE! We even invited Kent, our favorite grocery clerk, AND HE CAME! He always makes my day when I ask him how he is and he replies: "Magnificently marvelous and elevating to higher plateaus of euphoria at warp speed."

Some of the guests were happy to stay inside, away from the noise and mosquitoes.

The young men set to work blowing up things, while the rest of us watched.