Stinky Cheese

The headline in the Milwaukee paper yesterday was "Good for Nothing." That was after

The Packers' 31-21 win over the hapless Detroit Lions. This season's Cheese Team will go down in history for making history: The Lions, thanks to Green Bay, went 0-16 this season. But we had a difficult time even beating Detroit.

Not much to cheer about over here. The Pack didn't do much better this year than the Motor City Crew. A 6-10 season does not a playoff team make. So this will be my last Public Commentary on Stinky Cheese...this season, at least!

Here's to the Wearing o' the Packers Plaid, not once, but twice; Packers Fashion Statements Extraordinnaire; a Rebuilding Year; Mr. Frowny Cheesehead; and, of course, Aunt Julie's Packers Parties. If The Pack had gone to the Playoffs, I would have had a few more posting opportunities, but that's just the way the Osthyvel slices da cheese, ya?

Now The Pop'rs Family has no team to root for in the NFL Playoffs. The Jets are out, too. And even though Brett's a Jet, he won't be playing in January, either.

The Good News is that there's always a good time to be had at Historic Lambeau Field. Here are Brett's Bikini Girls, renamed the Green Bay Bikini Girls (for obvious reasons!), out in Full Force even though temps dipped to 10-above and winds gusted up to 25 mph. Girls just gotta have fun, don'tcha know.

Say Cheese!

Aunt Julie's cousin, Jim, lives in Norway with his family. He's originally from Wisconsin, but has taught school back in The Old Country for years. Jim recently came back home for a visit, and stayed at The Pop'rs Family's house.

To thank Aunt Julie and Uncle Lynn for their hospitality, Jim sent them an Authentic Norwegian Osthyvel--or "cheese plane," for you non-Norwegian neophytes. Julie Eliz took this "arty" pic, natch!

Aunt Julie and Moker--my Hubs--grew up with an Osthyvel in their house. No Proud Scandinavian living in the Upper Midwest would dare be without one! But Cousin Jim said Julie's wasn't authentic enough. So he sent her the Real Deal.

"Jim said that our grandfather Borger, who was a carpenter, would have used a 'hyvel' to plane wood," Julie Eliz explains. "And 'ost' is Norwegian for 'cheese'. We Norwegians certainly have a knack for creations of enduring beauty and simplicity, don't we?

Read this fascinating post on the blog Clivia's Cuisine about this marvelous Norwegian invention! Who knew?