Brainerd, MN

August 1-3, 2008 will be an exciting time in Duluth, Minnesota as three tall ships will be sailing into port. Visitors can take on-board tours of these fascinating replicas of historic vessels. The ships will be in port in the Duluth harbor as part of the Duluth Maritime Festival, celebrating the state's Sesquicentennial ( even harder to say than type).

The ships are the: U.S. Niagara which is 198 feet long and the schooner, Pride of Baltimore II at only 157 feet. Both of these are replicas of the warships that took part in the War of 1912 against Great Britain. The third ship is a demure Madeline at a delicate 92 feet, which is a replica of an 1840s schooner used as a commercial vessel.

Tours of the ships are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday. To buy tickets, go to www.decc.org and link to Ticketmaster.

For information on visiting Duluth, including hotel rooms cqll 800-4-Duluth or go to www.visitduluth.com.

With two large German Shepherds and a lovable but nosy mutt "it" could happen soon. One of these days, while checking under a wood pile or shed , at least one of the dogs will encounter a peppermint kitty and he will let them have "it". Skunk spray , one of the most obnoxious smells, works quite well for the sprayer. The sprayed upon however have burning eyes, nausea, and owners who no longer want them as close companions.

There are a number of commercial preparations, none of which I have found to be worth their price. So grab a glass of tomato juice and drink that as you prepare the following recipe:

• ONE QUART OF 3 PERCENT HYDROGEN PEROXIDE
• 1 CUP BAKING SODA
• 1 TEASPOON OF LIQUID SOAP

This needs to be used shortly after mixing and should not be stored, as it gives off oxygen gas, which could case a closed container to burst. For large or long haired dogs, you will need more batches. Don't hesitate to repeat the process if odors linger.

Accoding to Wikipedia:

Skunks have two glands, on either side of the anus, that produce a mixture of sulfur-containing chemicals (methyl and butyl thiols) that has a highly offensive smell that most people describe as a combination of the odors of rotten eggs, garlic and burnt rubber. The odor of the fluid is strong enough to ward off bears and other potential attackers, and can be difficult to remove from clothing. Muscles located next to the scent glands allow them to spray with high accuracy as far as 2 to 3 metres (7 to 10 ft).

The singular musk-spraying ability of the skunk has not escaped the attention of biologists: the names of the family and the most common genus (Mephitidae, Mephitis) mean "stench", and Spilogale putorius means "stinking spotted weasel". The word skunk is a corruption of an Abenaki name for them, segongw or segonku, which means "one who squirts" in the Algonquian dialect

Keep in mind that skunks go into inactivity during our long Minnesota winters and winter is always just around the corner.

ENJOY!

Kathleen Lordbock- Home Staging and Interior Redesign in the Brainerd Lakes area

Re$ale Design & Home Staging

The Washington Educational Services Building at 804 Oak Street in Brainerd will be the site of the Minnesota House K-12 Education Finance Division meeting. The public Brainerd meeting on June 16, 2008, co-chaired by Representative John Ward will include a K-12 education finance update.

Representative Mindy Greiling, chair of the K-12 Education Finance Division stated her pleasure at the short term relief that has been slated by the Legislature The Brainerd school system, like many others in the state, has seen a number of reductions in staff and programming. Various efforts are underway to raise funds to keep some music programs and sports in place.

We are now in our fourth month in a row of below average temperatures. It is still entirely possible that we may even get more snow. There are still a few banks of snow left and some patches in low areas in the heavily forested regions around the Brainerd Lakes. At least, the lakes had no ice remaining for our Governor's fishing opener.

I am taking a week off soon to go warm up in Florida, enough is enough. I will be bringing my staging partner back with me, after another long year of college in the sunny state.

For help preparing your home for this competitive market call Re$ale Design & Home Staging. Why leave money on the table?

Now if you are baking a ham or just ready to try something different for a side complement or even as a breakfast brunch dish - this is the one. Of course, you have to be a pineapple lover and we at the Lordbock house are. Our favorite pizza is sausage and pineapple. It is delicious and I found the recipe in our local newspaper.

1 large can crushed pineapple, drained, save the juice

1 cup milk

1 stick butter

2 cups sugar

8 to 10 slices fresh bread, cubed

2 eggs

Cube bread;put in a 9x13 inch pan. Slice one stick of butter into small pieces and layer over bread. Combine the milk. sugar and eggs. Pour over bread. Cover with drained pineapple. Drizzle 2 tablespoons juice over the top. Refrigerate overnight and baked the next day at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, or until the eggs are set.