Lisa Zahn

The 3rd Annual Southside Neighborhood Parade! The rootbeer float stand is ready and waiting... George in the line-up (I had nothing to do with this, but I thought it was cool!) Josie, DeNae and Miss 12th Avenue Rose, Miss 11th Avenue, with her homemade stilts and too-big dress-up gown Let the festivities begin! Fireworks and our very own Air Force Color Guard The princess court and the "four dancing Chinese ladies and one caucasion 'float'" Remember this post ? The Artist Who Shall Not Be Named is back! ( from rehab ) The military man and the hippie gettin' along, leadin' the parade down 11th Avenue Angie's protest float: Save the Lot! (the vacant lot next door, that is, from greedy developers) We even have an Honor Guard! Heading down 13th Avenue The princesses enjoy post-parade refreshments And the Zahn's 3rd Annual Post-Parade Hot Dog Feed Just because we love our crazy neighborhood so much!

Technically "illegal" boulevard planting, but aren't my flowers pretty? Technically "illegal", but what's the harm of a few you-know-whats that happen to produce delicious little protein packed egg-shaped things? Updates soon!

I've found a great use for that gas-guzzling second car that with gas prices at $4 a gallon just sits in the driveway or street these days. A super-duper giant "solar auto dehydrator" for herbs, veggies, you name it from the garden. Being an herbalist, I'm all about growing my own herbs and preserving them in various ways for year-round use. Someone on my yahoo food storage group suggested using a car as a super-efficient solar food dehyrator. I just put my herbs in wicker baskets and set them on the floor or seats of the car, mostly out of direct sunlight. I don't know what the exact temp. in the car is, but I think it's lower than what I can set my oven to, and slower dehydrating at lower temps is better for preserving an herb's flavor and medicinal properties. This works perfectly because an herb like chamomile only puts out a few flowers each day that are ripe for picking and drying for my kids' favorite herbal tea. With the "solar auto dehyd...

This weekend was Granite City Days in St. Cloud, our annual summer festival. We went to two parades, the "Lemonade Art Fair and Concert" on Thursday, and a "Taste of St. Cloud" on Sunday right in our neighborhood, down at Lake George. Enjoying the festivities Eli-style, with book in hand. He's reading The Hobbit Along with the Taste of St. Cloud event there was a bike race, a "criterium" where the racers go around a course (I think about a 1/2 mile around or so) a certain number of laps. The top men's race was 50 laps around and took about 1 hour, at speeds of 40 mph or so. It was so much fun to watch the bikers whiz by and cheer them on as they did so! Rose even got to participate in a kid's race that was one lap around. She gave it her all and all the kids got a free t-shirt for finishing the race. We are so happy to be in our little city with so much going on. And we didn't have to drive at all! Rose at the finish line

Rose found this little guy hanging on a blade of grass in the backyard. Its wing is on the ground and it didn't move even during its photo shoot. We wonder if the cat damaged it??? I don't know what it is, but it's pretty big for a bug/moth/thing-y. Anyone out there know about these things? Rose also thought it might be laying eggs since she saw a lot of little round things near it. I'm a little skittish about looking too close, though I did take the photos.