Brisbane Australia to Henning Minnesota "I got the box"

[UNCLEBUCK]

 Today the rural mail carrier lady pulled in the driveway and tooted her car horn and I thought what the heck does she want now , everybody knows I got a bad case of hermititis and should stay away ,so I crawled out from underneath a greasy junkpile tractor and she handed me a big box and had me sign for it too . I couldnt quite make out where it was from so I set it in the woodshop until I go inside at dark .

Just opened it up and I thought "oh my gosh" its "The Box" no way is this happening for me to get "The Box" "The Famous Forestry Forum Box"  .  Thought well its a good time to shake off this hermititis and show the world what I found inside "The Box" .

"The Box" came all the way from asy in Australia and look at all the wonderful gifts that she sent me !  Her daughter Stephanie even did me up a kookaburra picture and that is going on the wall in a frame !  Look at all the knitting that asy has done ! Everything is made of wool too ! She even sent a cap,t-shirt,soccer ball and more knitted items for my nephew Shane . All products of Australia , magazines from Australia that will take me weeks to read . Forestry Forum people are really awesome and special and I even got a nice letter from asy telling about all the gifts and as I was reading the letter I realized I had my nephews new Australia t-shirt on but he wont know as it stretched right back to his size !

I got knitted foot warmers , knitted hats,more knitted foot warmers , a cap , a lanyard to put the keys to "da shack" on so I wont lose them . Its awesome for sure and many many many thank you's go out to asy and family for such a wonderful suprise and even if my birthday was on the day of the pig roast the letter even wished me a happy birthday . I see the box has a shipping label on it with woodbowls residence and I cant really tell the other places "The Box" has been but in about a week or so "The Box" will be off to a new location full of items from Minnesota from U.B. land !  Hey I think my hermititis is gone ! G'day mates !

Well I took many pictures but couldnt get them into my gallery because it said "forbidden file extension " . I will show all when I can . I am good at posting pics too . Must be the gallery is under construction for a bit !  Thanks asy !

[asy]

Hey!

I'm SO PLEASED you got the box OK and you liked the goodies!

I'm sorry it took so long for me to send it, but it took a while to knit all the stuff! I kept thinking, every stitch, "-35C", "-35C"...  I can't believe it gets so COLD there, and I sure hope the hat and mittens come in useful, they're Aussie wool, with a bit of Alpaca mixed in for softness. All 'earthy' colours.

Stephanie was so excited that her picture was going ALL THE WAY to the OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD! We looked up where Henning Mn is on Google Earth, and then found our house on there, and she could see the distance between the two. I sure hope one day I can bring the kids to visit there, but maybe not in the WINTER!!! :D

And hey, if the T-Shirt fits, keep it! hehe

asy :D

[UNCLEBUCK]

Wow alpaca , I always wanted raise alpacas until I tried to buy one for 12 grand and I only had 1 grand  ;D

It goes to -40F here but usually -20 or -25F is a common temp !  Oh I will show my knitted wool items from time to time all winter long !

Tell Stephanie her picture will be on The Forestry Forum for the world to see soon

[UNCLEBUCK]

See if I remember from grade school the song of the kookaburra :

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree ,eatin all the gum drops he can see ,laugh kookaburra,laugh kookaburra,life is but a dream ! 

Well thats how I use to sing it in grade school . Maybe its different in other places ?

[asy]

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree , Merry, Merry king of the bush is he ,laugh kookaburra,laugh kookaburra,life is but a dream !   8)

There's another version, only kids might read this...  ;) :D

asy :D

[Minnesota_boy]

Now Uncle Buck, quit teasing Asy about those -25 degree F. days.  You know as well as I do that it occasionally gets to -50 F.  :D

[Tom]

It gets down to 50° in Harrison, Michigan, too.   I got under the mattress.  :D

[asy]

I think, at those temperatures, I would refuse to sleep alone.

There'd have to be warmth, if not safety, in numbers.

asy :D

[Furby]

Tom under the mattress. :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

[katie-did]

Hey Asy
Up here in the northern States them slab piles do not go to waste. We do not get the cold like UB does that often but it still get to cold for me sometimes and I will not even go out to get the mail. Part-timer loves the cold so I do the outside work in the summer and he dose it in the winter. They always say opposites attract well I guess we are total opposites.  :D

[asy]

Katie, I'm only gonna say this once, and then only REALLY quietly coz it's just between us gals, don't tell the guys I said this!!!

I think I'd secretly really like the Cold, at least for a while.

That way I could sit and knit, curled up under a rug, watching movies.

Also, I could cook lots of roasts and stews and stuff, which I really love. And Hot muffins, and scones, and Lasagne and sauces, and other yummy stuff...

Also, I'd have someone to knit big jumpers for. I love knitting jumpers, but there's no-one who'd wear them here :(

asy :D

[oldsaw]

Now Uncle Buck, quit teasing Asy about those -25 degree F. days.  You know as well as I do that it occasionally gets to -50 F.  :D

Years ago when I lived up in "God's Country" (grew up 40 miles  NE of Fargo, ND on the MN side), I jumped in my car to go to school at 7am.  Ambient of -38.  My vinyl seats shattered, and the foam felt like concrete.  The starter solenoid was frozen open and the battery wasn't making enough juice to engage it, so I had to jump it with a screwdriver to start the car.

The prior winter I had to babysit the farm for the folks who went on vacation to Florida.  The warmest day was -20, the coldest was -30, winchills of -70 were "warm" for the couple of weeks, below -100 on a couple of days.  Had to tow a full time Ford 4x4 DOWN our steep driveway to get my car out.  It wouldn't roll, or start.  Took most of the morning to get the tractor started to get a new bale out for the cattle.  Second time I just used the pickup, couldn't stand to be on the tractor that long, nor had the patience to start it.  Had to plug in the block heater, dipstick heater, a magnetic oil pan heater, battery trickle charger and a tank heater...overnight, covered with a big tarp.  Next morning, fire up the forced air kerosene heater for an hour or so, and try your luck.

Those were the days....BTW, MN Boy, one of my best friends grew up just outside of Fosston.  Spent a lot of time up there fishing.

Mark

[UNCLEBUCK]

Yeah its a bit like Siberia around here at times but not as many people 

[Patty]

I love winter....until about February, then I am ready for spring. 

Digging out of a big snow storm builds character, that, and I look so good in carharts and a stocking hat!  :

Life is much harder up here in the winter, I guess it makes us appreciate spring all the more.

[asy]

I sure hope you're still taking photos of the stuff, and getting them all ready for when the gallery lives again!

asy :D

[UNCLEBUCK]

Here is pictures of asy's hard work and stephanies handmade kookaburra ! Most of these items are handmade and I mean top of the line knitting . Still waiting on the nephew to come over and get his aussie stuff too . I just came inside and am covered in dirt but I will be showing my alpaca foot warmers and hats many times this winter ,just wanted to show everyone what asy and stephanie have done that really took me by suprise !  Its my turn to suprise someone next with "the box" .







I forgot to show all the magazines from australia but will get it sooner or later .

It was all too exciting especially not knowing "the box" was coming to me . Many thanks asy and family .  Going to be hard to top this !

[asy]

Cool photos! Thanks!!!

Hopefully the goodies ward off the winter chills!

asy :D

[Weekend_Sawyer]

I can see why you would frame that drawing.
It is very well done Stephanie!

[asy]

Thanks Jon,

I'll tell her you said that, she'll be thrilled.

As it was, she literally danced around the back deck when I told her Buck was gonna hang it on his wall. She was so proud!

asy :D