The Royce Files

Fargo Main Ave- Block6 My mostly Finnish wife painted the above picture in oil and few years ago. It is of the eastern portion of block 6 on Main Avenue just across from the NP depot. Businesses at time of painting from left to right- Babb's Coffee, Rhombus Guys, Harvest Community Church, and Kittsona. Today I think Kittsona has absorbed the space that was the church.

 The Coop in winter I took up raising chickens this fall. It was something my mostly Finnish spouse wanted to do, but I ended up taking the bulk of the duties. Thus far we only have 2 hens- a Sebright Golden  and a New Hampshire Red. We had another one but that is a story for another day. They spent the winter in the coop you see above. And it was a really cold winter. I did not heat the coop so the hens needed to produce their own heat. I did not have a heat source mostly because the coop is so small ad there is no safe spot for a heat lamp. I also read from many chicken raisers that you let the hens produce the heat by supplementing their feed with corn. I also insulated 3/4s of the coop.  Now that it is spring, I am pleased to announce that they survived the rugged Dakota winter. The only thing I learned is that they need better ventilation in winter. Lots of condensation built up inside. I had a cloth over the door on the majority of the winter...

Finally! I can catch some rest and some fish. Some great catches Labor Day cometh and I can rest from my corporate labors. It has been an extremely busy time for me at the multi-national company for which I work. Fortunately I was able to add 3 more support staff this summer to help when the going gets tough. It has been nearly 2 and a half months since the last post so and I guess it looked like an unexpected hiatus. Well, it was expected  but definitely unintentional. Let me count all the adventures I've had since we wrapped up the Fargo Marathon. I planted a vegetable garden and volunteered at the Growing Together Community Garden. A separate post is forthcoming about gardening. I returned to the Back to 50s Car Show in St. Paul after missing last year due to the wedding bumper crop. June just flew by at lightning speed. In July I had a considerable amount of stuff. On Independence Day I visited Bonanzaville with my MFS and the Boe, a new character in the Royce Fil...

Just came back from a place where you find a lot of these: Depot Signs   Maplelag Resort is a literal repository of  railroad depot signs and a bunch of other railroad signage.  In fact 2 of the lodges are named for former lines that served most of the region- Great Northern and Northern Pacific. From what I can discern, most of the signs are from towns in western Minnesota, North Dakota, and the prairie provinces of Canada. However, I do know there is a depot sign for my hometown which is just south of the Twin Cities. I have yet to discover its hanging place at the resort. My MFS (mostly Finnish spouse) and I enjoyed a few days respite by skiing 80 km at the resort. Yes, this was a vacation but we enjoy being outdoors even when it is 8 below. Plus you really need to ski with all the delicious food that the Maplelag kitchen cooks up for us not to mention the bottomless cookie jar of 5 flavors. The skiing was fantastic...

When you live in the United States there is much to be thankful. Though it seems we take much of it for granted- like paved roads and lights. I am thankful I can ride my bike just about anywhere. I am thankful there are wild places which we can still visit. I am thankful for my Mostly Finnish Spouse, who loves me even when I mess up and make mistakes. Way back in my college days- I was a DJ on KUMM in Morris. I started as a news reader and then did a little weekend show on regional music. One year, I think 1994, I wrote a Thanksgiving Pageant that some of my colleagues at the station decided to perform live on the air. You can find the full audio download here .

On July 10th I went to my first RedHawks game of the season. Boxscore here . Foul ball I caught at the RedHawks game July 10th The 'hawks were down by 5. The Kansas City T-Bones had mastery over the RedHawks bats. Inning after inning the home team failed to turn on the offense. Fortunately the RedHawks defense kept the game from getting totally out of hand. Plus the pitching improved. In the bottom of the 5th with 2 outs Ryan Stovall came up to the plate. The first pitch he hit a foul over the the home plate stands. It hit the press box and rocketed down towards my seat and 2 women sitting next to me. In a moment of odd courage I put out my barehand and caught that ball. I had never done that before- catch a foul. The women and my MFW were grateful. The next pitch Stovall eeked out the first hit of the game for the RedHawks. But the RedHawks do not take advantage as Carlo Cota flies out. It was not until the 8th inning until the RedHawks put some runs on the board- ...

The Mayor enjoys a hot dog The weather has been extremely kind in these parts. Sure we got our share of ice and snow, but this season the intensity of winter did not appear. On the doorstep of spring we'll be peering into a 70(F) degree day for St. Pats. It is time to eat the hot dogs again! Yep, it seems there is a certain time of year where I don't crave those franks- but now I do. And so does a Chinese aquaintence of mine. Fortunately for my birthday, my MFB (mostly Finish bride) bought be a copy of Never Put Ketchup on a Hot Dog . This is a volume for Chicago dog enthusists. I count myself as one. I think I read most it before the new year. Although I am not sure I'll be visiting Chicago any time soon. Crazy as it sounds, I came across a blog post by musician Phil Wickham proclaiming the joy visiting a Nashville hot dog emporium called Hot Diggity Dog. You can read it here . I have not met Phil yet. He does not travel much to our open plains. But if he does I...

Took some time off to find snow and go cross country skiing with my mostly Finnish wife at Mapelag Resport . We had an incredible time in this snowy place. We skied something like 30 miles in 3 days. And my wonderfully mostly Finnish darling took an icy plunge into the lake after a sauna. We had any enjoyable time and had some delicious food too!