Category Archives: Packers

Dear World: your sense of humor escapes me. Kinda.

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Dear Clinic That Shall Not Be Named; We’ve discussed this in the past. I’m growing steadily more disillusioned with your system. Like many teachers, I do my best to avoid taking sick time unless the situation is urgent. Assigning me to a medical professional who only sees patients from 9:00 to 3:30 just isn’t working.

Dear Replacement Referees; If nothing else, you have reinforced what most of the world already knew. Green Bay Packers fans are awesome. We didn’t riot in the streets (much), we didn’t tip cars or blow up dumpsters. We took to the social media instead. Tweet, tweet!

Dear Union Buster Walker; Did you really suggest that the NFL negotiate with the officials’ union? Really? Hell must have frozen over. First Favre really retired, and then Walker found a union he liked.

Dear city crews; Wisconsin has two seasons: winter and road construction. If you keep delaying the project on our street, road construction season will be over and it’ll be – you guessed it – winter.

Dear zebras; We’re sorry you lovely gentle animals are getting harassed by association.  The replacement referees do not deserve the nickname Zebras. We’ll call them… readers, what do you suggest? Flying pigs? Mockingbirds?

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Voters and Packers and Bears – oh, my!

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When do Green Bay Packers fans line up for hours to see a fan of their arch-enemy, the Chicago Bears?

When that Bears fan is President Obama, that’s when.

There were some scattered rain showers, and the temperatures were cooler by the lake, but nothing stopped this crowd from seeing the President, hearing the President, and cheering him on.

Tammy Baldwin opened for him – now she can say she was an opening act at Summerfest! – and helped energize the crowd. Not that the crowd needed much encouragement; there was a hum and a buzz as the fans, er, voters waited for the headline event.

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Add a few cheeseheads hats, and the scene could resemble a game at Lambeau Field.

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“We are not Bears fans first or Packers fans first; we are Americans first.”

I’ll add to the playbook. The election is coming up quickly. Before we know it, it’ll be voting day. There’s no overtime in elections. Let’s consider summer to be training camp, and September the preseason. Now it’s the real thing, and the final score will be, well, final. Are you in?

November 6th is coming all too soon.

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Famous Last Words

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Famous Last Words: “I’ll plant all the seeds. They’re old seeds, probably only a few will come up.”  Actual result: the tomato jungle, home to more than 50 plants.

Famous Last Words: “It’s a good time to travel. I’ll be back in time for most of the Packers-49ers game. I can listen to the beginning on the radio.”  Um, AM radio. See below. Not so easy.

Famous Last Words: “I don’t need directions. I’ll use my GPS.” Actual result: I forgot I was going to be in Stevens Point, central Wisconsin, the Black Hole of all things electronic. Smart phones, GPS Navigators, whatever, data connectivity is next to nil in this area. How do the UWSP students survive?

I did manage to get where I was going with a combination of gut feelings, a slight knowledge of the town, a stop at a gas station, and a quick call to Chuck who pulled up MapQuest and confirmed what I’d heard from the gas station guy. I’d actually passed the place twice. It wasn’t well marked.

The irony here is that I was headed to the Democratic Party’s HQ to pick up yard signs destined for our local office. The Portage County Democrats’ office has a good location, but poor signage. Maybe they should have kept one sign instead of sending them all with me.

After I finished my errand (road trip), delivered the signs to the local office, and then headed for home, I watched my Packers start the season poorly. Sigh. Aaron Rodgers just wasn’t in his prime form for this game. I didn’t need to rush home after all.

So after the game, I spent some time tearing up another dish towel to make more tie-ups for the tomatoes. See above: I ran out and needed more to hold up the volunteer tomato plants. Like I needed any more tomato plants this year – I’ll nurture them anyway.

P.S. Eating the Opponent: San Francisco included swordfish steaks, California oranges, and a seafood dish with rice that Chuck assures me is authentic to the area.

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>Super Bowl Monday, Monday

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>The last time the Patriots met the Giants in the Big Game, I wrote a post the next day. I pulled it up during halftime (sorry, Madonna fans) and reminisced a little.

My excuse for Starbucks went something like this: I’d sure like to get a New York Times to see their sports coverage, so I might as well buy one where I can get good coffee.
I’ve been walking to school more often, but school isn’t far from the downtown Starbucks. I could still do this.
I didn’t see much of Peyton Manning. Last time these two teams met, Peyton was in a box (with camera on his every move) to watch his little brother. This time they’re in his team’s home stadium, but Peyton isn’t there. His injury, potentially career-ending, is a factor, I’m sure. But not cheer on the brother?

What’s it like to be Mom Manning in a household with that much testosterone? Or is she just kind of like Wisconsin women, who know football and cheer as loudly as the men? If her older boys, Cooper and Peyton, are home with her watching the game, I hope they brought the beer.
Last time these two teams met in the Super Bowl, the Patriots had gotten into some trouble earlier in the season for stealing signals by taking video of their opponents. They should have just stuck to Eating the Opponents like we do. We ate both last night, with a New York dish (Chicken Riggies) recommended by one of the reporters covering the Bowl for NY, and our standard New England clam chowder.
Last time I wondered if Belichek was in a hurry to leave the field thinking, “Oh, well, now I can wash that filthy sweatshirt I’ve been wearing superstitiously all season. Might as well get at it right away.” My students recently read and discussed a story about superstitions. I can’t believe I didn’t bring up Bill Belichek’s ratty sweatshirt on the sidelines. Does he ever wash that thing? No, don’t answer that.
There were a lot of flags this year. Super Bowl being the best of the best in the NFL, I didn’t expect to see so many errors. Tom Brady, a safety? Twelve men on the field or in the huddle? By the time a team arrives at the Big Bowl, this kind of penalty ought to be over and done with.
Last time I also predicted that the Giants and Packers would meet again. They did meet in the postseason this year, with an outcome that was sad for those of us around Lambeau Field. Eli, we may meet again. But look out; next time the Packers are bringing their defense.

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>Eating the Opponent – planning ahead

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>My Green Bay Packers had a bye the first week of postseason. Depending on the results of two other games (or three?), they knew they would either play the New York Giants, the Detroit Lions, or the Atlanta Falcons. Or was it – Giants, Lions, or Saints? No, I think the Saints are elsewhere in the seeding order. Is that redundant – seeding order?

Meanwhile, back at the O.K. Chorale, we had no opponent last week. We had no definitive direction in which to point our spatulas and whisks. Instead of a menu, I give you The NFL Postseason According to Chuck.
Remember, Chuck is not a football fan. He’s been forced to learn the game because 1. he married me and 2. he works for a television station in Green Bay and 3. his kids bleed green and gold like their mother. Despite being uncaring and outnumbered, he has a theory on this year’s postseason action and potential results. Here goes:
Chuck believes that marketing drives all. The game that would attract the most viewers and have the most action would be an NFC Championship Game featuring two of the best quarterbacks: Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees. To get that far, New Orleans has to win again, and Green Bay has to beat the Giants on Sunday afternoon.
That’s basically it. New Orleans vs. Green Bay at Lambeau Field on January 22. Are you in, fellow fans? I’ll bring the jambalaya.
But first, I’ll bring home Jersey bagels for breakfast and grill New York Strip Steak for dinner. Take that, Giants.
As for the AFC, Chuck predicts the Denver Broncos. In his twisted television logic, he reminded me that the networks have groomed us to want the most drama before, during, and after the game. If Chuck’s predictions come to pass (no pun intended, and don’t you dare say none noticed), we’ll see MVP Aaron Rodgers and his entourage up against the God-loving rookie kneeling on the sidelines.
Well, Tebow may be posing for a new version of The Thinker, but he shouldn’t forget that Reggie White was evangelizing on the field when little Timmy was still a bobble-headed Pop Warner kid. And Reggie earned his wings, I mean his Super Bowl ring, with the green and gold.
Any questions?

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>Eating the Opponent for the Playoffs

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I baked pumpkin bread in the bread machine a few days ago and thought, “Ooh! I should post this.” Duh. I posted it just before Christmas. By the way, it’s delicious with pecans.
As for Eating the Opponent, we’re thinking New York Strip Steak and Jersey bagels. Then again, New York pizza has its own style and Lombardi’s of Manhattan is reputed to have been the first pizzeria in the U.S. Related to the trophy namesake? My research in that direction has had no results.
On the other hand, there are the famous New York black and white cookies, made from cake, not cookies. They look delicious, but I don’t have time to bake a high-maintenance recipe that includes small cakes and two kinds of frosting. I wonder if any local bakeries make them? It might be worth checking. This native New York dish has a roundabout connection to the upcoming game, almost a 6 Degrees type of thing. Here goes.
The last time the New York Giants came to Lambeau Field, there was a big to-do about Eli Manning’s favorite TV show being Seinfeld. Not wanting to give comfort to the enemy, our local affiliate refused to run its Seinfeld reruns at the usual time on that Saturday night. Seinfeld has incorporated the black and white cookie into at least one or two episodes. Is that enough for a connection? Well, if I had time to bake, maybe.
My research also turned up New York chili dogs, a.k.a. Coney dogs, but we used those as a tribute to the Detroit Lions. Let’s hear it, readers. Can you name a uniquely New York food suitable for Eating the Opponent this weekend?

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>Taking Stock of Christmas

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>What can I give you this Christmas?
Something sparkling to go with your eyes?
I’ll give you the light of a Yuletide star
from the cold December sky.
What can I give you this Christmas?
Something soft like the sound of your name?
I’ll give you the hush of the falling snow
as it settles on the ground.
There isn’t much that a boy like me can give to a girl like you.
I’ve searched the Christmas shop windows and now I know it’s true.
What can I give you this Christmas?
Not a thing that I’ve seen will do.
So I’ll give you my heart and my own true love
that will last the whole year through.


Something sparkling, to go with my eyes?
I’m not much of a jewelry person; I’m a casual dresser. No tiaras here, just fingerless gloves to keep my hands warm at my desk before the office heat kicks in But my eyes – I’m hearing impaired, so my eyesight is precious. My sweet husband saw me through cataract surgeries in both eyes. He even agreed to the expensive and not-one-cent-covered by insurance multi-focal replacement lens. Now, the world sparkles a lot more brightly than it ever did.

Something soft? My new Snuggie in a Green Bay Packers print is very warm and snuggly, soft and sweet. And since my ever-patient husband, a.k.a. Chuck, has a whole different outlook on the football season, it’s really sweet of him to buy this for me.

But his heart and his own true love – my supremely wonderful spouse outdid himself this time. When I mentioned my desire, he called it “…a worthless piece of paper.” He wasn’t far off. It doesn’t pay dividends, I can’t sell it, it’s so non-transferable that I can’t even leave it in my will. But in spirit, it’s worth a million, and when I opened the box, I had a lump in my throat.

Readers, I received a share of Green Bay Packers stock for Christmas. I am officially – literally, not figuratively – an NFL owner, an investor in the Green Bay Packers.

Lyrics to ‘What can I give you this Christmas?’ were hard to find, and I still can’t find the songwriter’s name to give credit where credit is due. It’s a lovely song, and it fits the true sentiments of gift giving at this time of year.

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>Eating the Opponent: Chicago!

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>Why are you reading blogs? It’s Christmas Eve! Oh, yes, it’s NFL football day, too. My Green Bay Packers play tomorrow, though. However, Green Bay maintains its popularity in the NFL schedule by playing on the national stage again, this time on a holiday: Christmas Day.

In the Okay By Me homestead, we’ll eat the opponent on Christmas Eve. Tonight. After a day of wrapping presents and organizing gifts and cleaning the house, I just don’t feel up to cooking something special. Neither does Chuck. It’s a good thing the Packers are playing the Chicago Bears. We picked up a Chicago style deep dish pizza yesterday from a take and bake place. Followed by Christmas cookies for dessert, it will be the perfect Christmas Eve supper.
After the presents are unwrapped, the brunch eaten, the naps taken (believe me, I’ll need one), we’ll gather around the Christmas tree and watch our Packers take the field once again. It’s Aaron Rodgers’ neighborhood, remember, and Sunday promises to be a beautiful day.

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>Green Bay Packers fans

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You know you’re a Green Bay Packers fan if:
  • Your favorite starting quarterback has a streak of incomplete passes – 3 in all.
  • You buy Christmas gifts at the Packer Pro Shop for out-of-state relatives.
  • You imagine the visiting teams saying, “We came, we saw, we lost” on their way out of Lambeau.
  • Your favorite field goal kicker is considered in a slump if he misses. That’s misses one field goal.
  • Your weekly superstitions continue, even though you know the team doesn’t need your help.
  • You have a cheesehead that sports the words “NFL Owner.”
  • Your decorative ceramic seagull wears a Barbie-doll size cheesehead.
  • Instead of rushing into laundry to prepare for game day, you just take out another piece of Packer-wear because you own enough to last through the playoffs — and indeed, the Super Bowl.

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>Eating the Opponent – the Oakland Raiders

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>Sometimes it’s the quest. It’s the journey, not the destination. When Eating the Opponent, however, the destination matters, too. The Oakland Raiders presented a challenge.

Oakland, CA is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the United States. Since local foods and signature recipes often come from local culture (see Gumbo or Jambalaya), extreme diversity poses a problem. What to serve? A Raider Nation head on a platter didn’t seem, well, tasteful, to tell you the truth.
I tried searches for local foods, local restaurants, and even stadium foods. No luck. I found some fascinating sites and interesting articles, but no foods that could grace our table the weekend the Packers play the Raiders. Finally, a search for Oakland Recipes turned up a list of signature recipes from local restaurants. Chuck wasn’t thrilled to try cooking duck, so I opted for downloading a savory chicken recipe from SR24 and a banana bread with Cinnamon Crumble Topping from Bakesale Betty’s. Both look delicious on the page; they’ll be delectable on our table.
In other news, Chuck found out that in 2009 the Raiders’ stadium was named the most vegetarian friendly venue in the NFL. Maybe we’ll have Boca Burgers instead of the baked chicken.
Superstitious? No, not really. But we followed this routine last year as we watched our Packers go to the Super Bowl and win it. Why mess with success? Besides, this Eating the Opponent game is a lot of delightful fun.
Hey, Raiders fans? Good luck with the new stadium. You deserve it. Believe me, we Cheeseheads understand your passion for the local team. Maybe Favre would come out of retirement to help you out…. never mind.

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