Weird Nebraska

Evan wants me tell everyone, "Evan is a cool dude." Confidence issues? Nah.

Saturday morning, we woke to snow on the ground. Evan and his dad got an early start and headed out to Pioneers Park. Unfortunately, the snow was so wet and ground temperatures so warm that the sled hill wasn't an option. But they did have a nice nature hike with our dog, Karma.

During the afternoon we went to the Museum of Nebraska History. They have a really cool exhibit running until the end of 2006, titled "Weird Nebraska: Strange Stories and Amazing Facts." Not that we ever thought of Nebraska as normal. But there's a lot of cools stuff and stories on display: everything from a petrified man to the world's tallest man, to UFOs, crop circles, and sea monsters, fascinating outsider art, a basket made from armadillo skin, and much, much more! I really enjoyed the "Made in Nebraska" exhibit, featuring products such as Kool-Aid, Eskimo Pie and the Vise-Grip wrench. Evan gives the museum gift shop two thumbs up.

And to carry on with the weird Nebraska theme, as well as bygone days, we dined last night at Lee's Chicken, a Lincoln legacy for at least 60 years. The decor probably hasn't changed in the entire period, but it has a homey, cheesy charm. They still have piano player most evenings (although the blind organist is long gone) to complement the booths and wood paneling. Last night, there was a youngish hipster playing and we convince Evan to go up and ask him to play "Linus and Lucy." Brave, confident soul that he is, Evan persuaded the fellow, who was duly rewarded with a tip in the fishbowl.

At dinner, this was part of our conversation:

Evan: "Mom, what if boys acted like girls and girls acted like boys?"
Mom: "What do you mean by that?"
Evan: "Well, what if boys did the laundry and girls played Xbox?"

I had to break the news to him that boys DO laundry and girls DO play Xbox. Good lord, these stereotypes begin early.