Blogcation

We've had some recent sad news at Gregoropolis, so we'll be on a short break while taking care of family and other things.  We'll be back in a week or two.  

Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Giancarlo: Ciao, Emile!  You're just in time to help set the dinner table.  We've made everyone's favorite: spaghetti.

Emile: Sacre bleu! Not ze spaghetti again!

>collective gasp<

Gino: What's wrong with spaghetti?!?

Giancarlo: Spaghetti is good for you!

Angelo: You wouldn't be so small if you ate more spaghetti!

Emile: Non, mes amis, eet ees because I do not have ze delicious French food that I am wasting away!  Why can we not have more of ze cuisine français in zis 'ousehold?

Giancarlo: Because French cooking is too fussy and complicated.

Emile: Zat ees where you are wrong.  Come, let me show you.

Anthony: "Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child."  I've seen her on TV.  I think it was a program about making omelets for 300 people in 15 minutes, or something like that.*

*Season 1, episode 4.  Original air date February 23, 1963

Emile: Now, look at zis recipe.

Anthony: 'Boeuf Bourguignon.'  Hmm, actually that doesn't sound too difficult.

Emile: Not at all; even for ze non-Français

Giancarlo: Hmmmf.

And so the boys get ready to cook.  However, complications soon arise...

Anthony: Uh-oh.  The recipe calls for bacon.  We forgot to get that at the supermarket.

Gino: I found this in the pantry.  What do you think?

Emile: Imeetation bacon bits?! Madame Child would turn over in 'er grave, that ees what I think.  Non, non, non.  I will return to ze store for ze bacon while the rest of you continue with ze preparations.  Tsk-tsk!

Giancarlo: We have another problem.  I checked in the basement and we don't have any French red wines.

Anthony: Oh dear.  I knew this was going to be more complicated than we thought.

Gino: Aren't we a little young to be drinking wine anyway?

Anthony: It's fine.  The alcohol all burns off during cooking, but how are we going to solve this problem?

Angelo: Well, the recipe does say that you can use Chianti, and we have lots of that*.

Giancarlo: Ha-ha!  That's Italian wine!  Emile would never go for that!

Anthony: Well, what he doesn't know won't hurt him...

*Daddy Steve's favorite wine with pizza

Quite a while later...

Emile: I think eet ees ready to come out of ze oven.

Louisette: Oh mon petit lemon, eet smells magnifique!  Just like maman used to make!

And after dinner...

Giancarlo: I must admit, that was delicious.

Emile: But of course, mon ami.  Eet ees ze wonderful French wine zat ees ze secret ingredient!

Giancarlo: You know what, Emile? For once I agree with you! >hee-hee<

There's No Such Thing As A Minnesota Snow-Ape

Benjamin Roy: Wait a minute.  Tell me that again.

Megan: BR, we know what we saw!

Daphne: Yes!  There's a monster prowling around the backyard!

Rhoda: I saw it too!  I would have kicked its behind, but, um, the other girls were too scared, so we ran right back into the house.

BR: Alright, alright...I'll grab Pete and we'll go outside and take a look around.

Daphne: Oh, thank you BR!  You two be careful!

Pete Dakota: What exactly are we doing?

BR: I told you; Megan, Daphne, and Rhoda say they saw something sneaking around out here.  Rhoda thinks it was a Minnesota Snow-Ape.

Pete: A S-s-snow-Ape?! >gulp<  D-d-do you believe in those?

BR: No, I don't.  But it will make the girls feel better if we investigate.

Pete: Oh, O-o-okay.

BR: Hey!  What's this?

Pete: What did you find?

BR: I don't know.  We'll give it to Stephen Orange to examine.

Stephen Orange: >mutter, mutter<  I don't know why they gave this to me.  I'm a marine biologist, not mammalian.  >grumble, grumble<

Nicholas: Hullo Stephen, whatever are you up to?

Stephen: >And I hate being interrupted, sigh<  I am examining a piece of fur BR and Pete found in the backyard.  >sigh<

Nicholas: Great Richard the III's Ghost!  I overheard some of the girls nattering on about this.  Do you think there is a mysterious local simian roaming the garden?

Stephen: >sigh<  There's no such thing as a Minnesota Snow-Ape.  This is probably just from a squirrel or a rabbit.

Nicholas: Still, awfully exciting, don't you think?

Stephen: No.  Make yourself useful; dump this flask out in the sink and wash it.

Nicholas: Oh dear, er, this isn't some sort of acid, is it?

Stephen: No, it's grape Kool-Aid.  I was drinking from it until I remembered I don't like grape Kool-Aid.

BR: Well, we haven't seen anything unusual.  I'll bet they just saw shadows on a mound of snow and their imaginations got the better of them.  Let's go in.

Pete: B-b-best idea all day.

Ringing In The New Year

Daddy Steve: How did you ring in the new year?  Here at Gregoropolis, the kids were determined that they were going to greet 2020 right at the stroke of midnight.

Mikko: Daddy Steve, can we have a New Year's Eve party and stay up 'til midnight?

Daddy Steve: Hmm.  Do you really think you'll be able to stay awake that late?

Mikko: Oh sure we can!

Tyler: No problem!

Here's what really happened...

7:30 pm

8:30 pm

9:30 pm

Mikko: >Yawn<  I think he knew all along we'd never make it.

Tyler: Yeah, he's pretty smart for an old man.

Peace, Revisited

Paul: Well, another year is almost over.  I wonder what the new year will bring.

Kaveh: It's hard to say.  I hope everyone can get along.

Katy: I really like the big people, but they sure have a hard time getting along with each other.  And it's not like they're all that different from one another.

Rhoda: I know!  I have trouble telling the big people apart.  They all look the same to me.

Paul: Sometimes you can tell by their eyes, or the way their hair is combed.  But, yeah, they're basically the same, so why can't they get along?

Kaveh: This reminds me of something.  Come, and I'll show you.

Kaveh: I just came across these the other day when I was helping Daddy Steve look for something else*.  We used them in a story about peace a couple of years ago.

(*a common occurrence here at Gregoropolis)

Katy: These are wonderful!

Rhoda: Maybe it's time we brought them out again.

Paul: It's a message that you can't repeat often enough.

A Gregoropolis Christmas Sampler

Wyatt: Hey!  How come tomorrow's door on the Advent calendar is already open?  

And the chocolate is gone!

Giancarlo: FRANK!!!

Barbara: We really should finish decorating the tree.

Beatrix: Well, just one more mug of eggnog first.

Barbara: Okay!

Both: Tee-hee >hic< hee!

Emile: Eet ees like I always zay: teamwork makes ze dreamwork.  N'est-ce pas?

Louisette: Oui, mon petit lemon.

Sasha: Friendship is the gift that keeps giving all year long.

Miguel: Well said, amigo.

Frederick: I've always thought of Christmas as a red-haired holiday.

Daphne: I completely agree.

Valerie: We harmonize so well together.  What's next?

Bowie: How about 'Santa Baby'?

Uli: Eat more cookies, meine lieben!  I baked ten dozen.

The boys: COOKIES!!!

Frank: I'm so excited for Christmas!  I can't wait for it to get here!

James: Daddy Steve says that some day we'll wish that time didn't go so fast.

Frank: He sure gets some funny ideas...

Nathan: "Once upon a time, there was a mean old company called Amazon.  They pretended to spread Christmas cheer, but what they really wanted was to ruin local businesses."

Holly Belle: You know they have no idea what you're talking about.

Mikey: More!

Help In The Kitchen

Daddy Steve: Uli has a busy day of holiday baking planned.  She could really use a little help in the kitchen..

Uli: I need some assistance if ve are all to have holiday treats.

Anthony: No problem!  I'll round up some help for you.

Uli: Erm.  Just not Frank, ja?

Anthony found Alice and Luke, who happily volunteered to help.

Alice: Here we are, Uli!

Luke: At your service, ma'am!

Uli: Erm, oh...danke.

Alice and Luke are very sweet and well-meaning, but they are a tad befuddled in the kitchen...

Robin: I think you mean clueless.

Anthony: That's a bit harsh, Robin.  Then again...

Kaveh: They're very nice, though.

Our three chefs set about baking, but complications, if not the dough, arise.

Luke: Is there a difference between a teaspoon and a tablespoon?

Uli: Vell, ja...

Alice: Should I have greased and floured the pan before I poured the batter in?

Uli:  >sigh<

Uli: Ach der lieber!  Luke! You must shut the mixer off before you remove the bowl!

Luke: Whoops...

Alice: Oh dear, I don't remember how many eggs I added.

Alice: I know, I'll count the shells I threw away.  Let's see...one, two, two and a half.  So, I must have put in two and a half eggs.  Wait, that can't be right...

Uli:  >sigh<

Uli: I am exhausted.

Kevin: Is baking very hard work?

Uli: Ja, especially vhen you haff help.