GaryOsberg.com

 Good morning from Collegeville,

Thanksgiving dinner at Erik and Jena’s was wonderful.  Erik soaked the turkey in salt brine overnight and he roasted it breast down.  That was a hint that he picked up by listening to Lynn Rosetta Kasper on MPR.  He also made a sweet potato pie that was to die for.  If you would like the recipe for the pie, let me know.

 

This summer Auntie and Cousin Odd from Norway came to campus for a visit.  After having lunch at the “Refrectory” we toured the “new church”, (built in 1961).  I showed them the chapel that was the subject of my weekly note back in November of 2007.  The remodeling of the  small chapel began by cutting a new door into the one foot thick concrete wall.  This made me a little nervous, but it seemed to be fine.  The next week a contractor was applying new plaster to the ceiling.  I watched the young man and noticed that he was putting it on real thick, like about two inches thick, and they had not added anything to the old concrete ceiling, no lath or perforated metal as you would use for a stucco job.  I thought to myself “this is not a good idea.”  The next Friday morning I walked past the project and almost all of the new plaster was on the floor.  Some of the plaster clung to the edges.  On the following Monday morning there were no workers present, but it was all cleaned up.  By Tuesday afternoon I noticed the contractor’s truck was back.  On Wednesday morning I stopped by and there were two workers and a fellow with a clip-board.  I could see that perforated metal had been attached to the ceiling.  I stuck my head in and commented.  “I saw what you were doing in here last week and I thought to myself  “this is not a good idea”.  “I am sorry to see that I was right”.  The man with the clip-board replied with a smile, “and we are sorry that you didn’t stop us sooner.”  Sometimes it pays to speak up.  Just because the signage on the truck says that they are experts doesn’t mean that they don’t make mistakes in judgement.

 

The show this week is live from the Town Hall in New York City.  Special guests include, but are not limited to, The Imposter, Elvis Costello and Sola’s great dubliner John Doyle.  The usual cast of characters will help to kick off the holiday season.  Enjoy the show.  Enjoy the snow.

 

“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.”  Willie Nelson