FLANNEL FEST LOGO - In case you ever need it for some reason, here is the logo we made for Flannel Fest. It combines a Viking Helmet (Norwegian) with Shamrocks (Irish) and indian head piece feathers (Ojibwa).

DROPPING PINS - Yes, we could hear them drop. It was as if the world stopped spinning and we all held our breath as the most beautiful music enveloped us, lifting our burdens and easing our souls. It added so much classiness to our event that we will be featured in the Lifestyle section of People magazine (Maybe that’s a lie). Gus and Quinn, thank you both for this special tribute to our mom. It was a gift to all of us. Bravo!

FLANNEL TWINS - Kathleen and granddaughter Ada were accidental flannel twins at today’s festivities. They have so much in common, it only follows that taste in tartans should be identical as well. So cute!

OJIBWA RAPPER - Samantha treated all of us to the rap she wrote in her Ojibwas tribal language. It was impossible to understand because of all the native slang words. Some likened her performance to Eminem, others to S&M. It was a lovely song. Heartfelt.

3 GENS WATCH SANDY SHOOT POOL - Sandy’s billard shot was for the silver medal! Jim gathered representatives of his immediate family (grandfather, daughter, and granddaughter) to pray and bear witness to the event so when the story is told at future celebrations, they will be able to say they were actually there! You can tell by their pants that they pray a lot.

BABY GOT BACK - Oh, four granddaughters together publically declaring their affection for big butts. It was a proud moment for their Granny, who sports quite a hulky hinder and believes the song was a tribute to her. (Please don’t spoil her imagined moment in the spotlight).

WILL LILLY TAKE A CUE BALL TO THE HEAD? - As with all clan members before her, Lilly passed her initiation with flying colors. Having reached the age of eleven, she knelt beside the table, which represents Lake Winnebago, as her sister took 11 shots with the cue ball trying to hit her in the head. Lilly dodged every one, getting only lightly side-swiped once. We all look forward to Alora’s turn next year.

GUEST BOOK SAMPLER #1 - Mary and Keith (aka Granny and Paw ) made these doodles for the guest book. Dave Chapelle and Dolly Parton would be great fun at a party. Good choices.

PART OF THE EXILED DOG PACK - All dressed up for some Flannel Fun, wondering where everyone went. Maybe next time, boys! Thanks to all the dog lovers for making sure your pets were happy.

AIR HOCKEY AWAITS THE BRAVE - Man, this thing is heavy, but we managed to move it into the back room so the noise wouldn’t upset the old people, the cursing wouldn’t upset the children, and the betting wouldn’t upset the people who lost all their money on side bets in the pool tournament.

INTER-GENERATIONAL CHATTING IRL - Throughout the day, little enclaves of diverse people just like this came together to know each other a little more deeply, and, in so doing, came to know a little more about themselves. We call it “Fishing the Gene Pool.” And there were a lot of great keepers this day. Our hearts overflow.

CLAN OF THE BRIGHT AND SHINING WOLF WARRIORS - It was a unique way of representing a unique family and The Aunties are pleased with their handiwork. They labored over the conceptual design and came up with something that captured the spirit. On this day, we were something special together. It was enchanting! Thank you all for coming!

PLAN B - We promised a Plan B if rain precluded a bonfire. It did not rain. We had our family fire outside and it warmed the cool autumn night just right. Sadly, our curator overlooked taking a photo of it, so use your imagination please.

SELF-SERVE BAR - It’s Wisconsin. It’s a party. It’s an open bar. That’s how the universe works, kids. Families have been including spirits in their celebrations for millennia. We appreciate you helping us keep the tradition.

THE OMRO CONTINGENT - Alora, Lindsay, Zach, Sandy, and Jim (l-r) looking adorable after enjoying some Flannel Fest cake! Jamie and Jacques (not pictured) were looking adorable across the room. Hands down, this chunk of the family wins the Sweetness Award.

I GOT ALL MY SISTERS AND ME - The post title is also the title of the song Presley picked for her contribution to the Flannel Fest playlist. All three of these beauties are spawn of Mollie and inherited her sense of humor, her charm, and her beauty. Thanks to all the “grown-ups” for making this memory for them and for all the grandchildren who attended this event. You are the stories they will tell someday.

DOUBLE TROUBLE - Auntie Sam taught her niece Mollie many life lessons as she grew to womanhood. Most of them are from the movie “Thelma and Louise,” so you can imagine the mischief of which they are capable. Fair warning. Stand back and do not hold their beer for them.

CLAN IN THE WOODS - Oh, my gosh. I am startled! This looks like your average, normal, Michigan militia picnic! But this is no militia. To check, I yelled, “Who all was at the capital on January 6th?” Only one person raised their hand — and that was to go to the bathroom. Let’s not call ourselves “The Clan” anymore. Crazy times. Don’t want any misunderstandings. We all appreciate you for making the hugs so soft and cuddly.

LOST AND FOUND - Did you leave your glasses at the party? If so, Carey claimed them. Auntie Mary will tell you where she lives.

KEITH HEARING THERE IS SPOTTED COW - Favorite beer of goofy old guys who live in Wisconsin. Thanks for all the beverages you brought to the party. Especially the unusual sodas, beers, and wines. So fun!

KALLIE AND PRESLEY LOVE PIZZA - Mary bought 10 spatulas to avoid cross-contamination of pizzas. Now she will be serving pizza endlessly to get her money’s worth from the spatualas. They were $0.98 each at Walmart. If you would like to adopt a spatula, send your I.O.U. for r$0.98 to Mary and she will name it after you, send you a photo, and a personal thank you note.

CAREY TRIES TO GROUND AMY - In a rare call of rank, Carey pressed for a shooting advantage by threatening to ground Amy and take away her phone. You can see how not upset Amy was. She’s all brightand shiny, as you would expect when someone tries to tell her what to do. We appreciate both of you making this time so wonderful.

SOLVING WORLD’S PROBLEMS - As Keith and John ponder global warming, the future of Artificial Intelligence, and life without Covid, an angel appears telling them they are each pregnant, and should check back when they’ve purchased a donkey and a Bible. (Or maybe they were talking about the Packers).

SHIRLEY JANE - John and Sam each told a beautiful story about our mom — and we all toasted her and wished she could see what those five trips so long ago to the obstetrics unit yielded: Lifetimes of love, scores of people, and the thread of her running through them all. We nestled her next to her wooden mushroom sculpture for the party and pretended her spirit was there with us - hoping we weren’t just pretending. Thank you for helping us celebrate her.

POOL TOURNAMENT ENDURO - So many people wanted to buy-in to the winners-take-all pool tournament, we were stunned. According to the folks at Guiness, it was the longest family tournament on record. Several guys had to shave, people were sleeping in little tents, and the Red Cross air-dropped food and water in the backyard. Hardship brought us together and we persevered to the end. Thanks to all of you for your tenacity. Navy Seals have nothing on you!

BRIGHT & SHINING CHAMPIONS - The winners of this year’s pool tourney are recorded in the annals of history. What a hard fought slog. Thank you Carey and Maggie for the mathematical precision with which you proctored this test of endurance, patience, wit, skill, and worthiness. The losers can still make their own medals. See Auntie Carey for instructions.

WORLD’S BEST CHILI DOGS - Don’t be fooled by the “bright and shining” crock pot. It’s purpose is merely to keep the magic chili warm. The chili is actually cooked in a (*******) with (*******) before adding (*******). The most crucial moment is when (*******). Sorry, the enchantment properties seem to erase the words as I type them. You’ll have to get the recipe from Mollie’s Dan — not that she owns him, but as opposed to Maggie’s Dan (who is totally owned by Maggie at this point).

BRINGING THE CROWD TO TEARS - No wait. I got that wrong, It appears the singers are bringing themselves to tears - and they have 42 bottles of beer left to go, As I recall, they were on their knees sobbing by the end. It was beautiful. Cousins comforting each other as they dodged the beer bottles people were throwing at them. They even did an encore of the whole song. At least that’s what I heard. I was waiting for the pizza guy upstairs.

SAM SHARING LIFE LESSONS - Amy is beside herself with glee as Sam teaches her how to make finger shadows of the Ojibwa alphabet. This will come in handy sooner than you think if the uprising goes as planned. Or maybe they are just delighted by each other. Hard to tell.

CLAN DUO: THE FAB FLANNELS - Following a flash mob performance of “Land of the Silver Birch” complete with a Hyung Chun Ji dance, Sam and Mollie took the stage and attempted to sing other songs for which they could not remember the lyrics. They are seen here singing “oooo. oo ooo o ooooo” to a five-song set of 80’s B-sides. It was music gold!

ALORA SCHOOLS HER ELDERS - As Mollie renders her husband unconscious with Bruce Lee’s one-inch-punch, and as Aunt Sandy attempts to clean the frosting off her hand, Alora attempts to win a medal.

TOO SEXY FOR HIS HAT - We took a vote. It’s true. Definitely! Jaspir in all his Jaspir-ness.

BABES IN FLANNEL LAND - C.O.T.B.A.S.W.W, as the clan is known for short, were welcomed with love by the Lord and Lady of the manor, Mollie and Dan (l-r). You may recognize them from the Crest toothpaste commercials. True love - their teeth sparkle in unison! Thank you so much, Mollie and Dan. It was an unforgettable day. - From all the members of C.O.T.B.A.S.W.W

GUEST BOOK SAMPLER #4 - We love this page of the Guest Book created by Mo (aka Morgan) and Dan (Maggie’s beloved). We wondered aloud who brought up “cheese balls.” We still are wondering why that would even happen. We are also wondering what is Und Cake, Dan? You are so mysterious. And, Morgan, you have the sweetest and most tender heart ever. We would love to see Dinah the cat in plaid flannel.

EXCHANGING CLAN SECRETS -As they say, “We’d have to kill ya.”

FRIENDS-IN-LAW - Mother-in-law and Daughter-in-law bonded by love for the same man — Jamie Fraser of Outlander.

GOLD • SILVER • BRONZE - Auntie Carey is the clan’s craft queen. She made these awesome plaid flannel awards for the World Championship Flannel Fest Pool Tournament. One of a kind. Several attempts to steal them from the winnes have been thwarted.

MOTHER & SON DUET - A moment of sweetness quelled the mayhem as the throng of bright and shining wolf warriors fell silent and listened intently to a son begging his mother over and over and over to “turn around” for almost four minutes, We will tell stories about this for generations. She never turned. Not once. We hypothesized it was because he didn’t say “please.”

CASH: HEAD OF SECURITY - Cash keeps a tight grip on his bowie knife as he patrols the party breaking up arguments about who was the worst sibling. He’s wearing his sexy Clint Eastwood scowl for extra intimidation. Thank you, Cash. You kept us safe from harm. (Also, Cash, everyone is afraid to ask, but they want to know what you’re going to do with the pinkie you cut off the hand of the pizza guy.)

GUEST BOOK SAMPLER #3 - Wow, between Betty White, the sweetest little frog ever, and a smiling autumn leave, we are gobsmacked! The Guest Book is slowly becoming a lovely record of wolf warrior whimsy.

FLANNEL FLIRTING - Just keep scrolling. Go on now. Move along.

MORGAN TAKES THE CROWN - After decades of “Granny Long Locks” in first place, she was finally dethroned by “King Mo Hair.” He was sporting the longest tresses by a clear 1/2 inch. Congratulations, Morgan. Keep growing those protein strands!.

OFFICIAL JUDGES OF THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP - They were self-appointed so it doesn’t count. They just wanted people to bribe them with drinks. You can see the guilt in their eyes.

Uncle Dan protects the libations from under-age viking lassies. Not even a sip!

TEN HOLY BOXES OF JOE - Ten pizza pies from the hallowed ovens of Joe and his hut of foxes. The Aunties voted 2 to 1 in favor of Joe’s, turning down an anonymous benefactor who offered to pay for a catered dinner from one of the finest restaurants in the city. Joe’s comes with childhood memories. Impossible to beat if your judges are sentimental.

UH-OH YOKO - Ada singing with the JENNINGS BROTHERS before they were famous! The Jennings Brothers singing with ADA before she became a banker and bought their record company. We knew them when! P.S. For the official record, Ada loves you guys and would never do that. She has always said she would DIE before she became an investment banker and is deeply offended by this reference, even in jest. She would definitely work to FUND your record company though. Bake sales and friendship bracelets mostly.

GUEST BOOK SAMPLER #2 - I for one would love Darth Vader to come next time. I would so wear my hair in Princess Leia buns. But enough about me. This page screams Wolf Warriors and their fierce love. Great doodles too!

SMACK TALK - I just love it when family says mean funny stuff to make you screw up your shot. Let’s me know they were raised right. A little ridicule never hurt anybody — except a few people — and we don’t invite them. Also, I can’t help but notice, but am reluctant to mention it: is that a disembodied hand on the side of the table? Is that allowed in regulation play?

LEADER OF THE BLUE FLANNEL TARTANS - Dan organized all the attendees wearing flannel shirts with a blue tartan print. Then, as you can see, they took over the “self-serve bar” and maintained a blockade through the night, forcing the rest of us to drink soda pop and swill. Respect! Great warrior move.

GUEST BOOK - Auntie Mary is so proud she got this old book for $3 at the second-hand store. She made that little label and called it the Guest Book. Thanks for your doodles and guest wishes. You made this fun for all.

THE ELUSIVE ROLAND STONE - A rare sighting by the edge of the forest and again by the pizza with no cheese. One of the clan secrets: Roland Stone is a time traveler.

CHARADES - We never got to play, and we were having so much fun, no one noticed. We are grateful to Sam for trying to resurrect this great game from our childhood. We are committed to making it happen next time.

FESTIVAL GREETERS - Auntie Carey enlisted two friends to hold the sign she made to help us find our way to Flannel Land. Aside from her beauty, wit, and renowned cuteness, she has perfect penmanship! Thank you, Carey, for this charming welcome.