Savannah

We met Savannah and her beau and we went out for lunch.  I took her 21st birthday photo.

I also took a photo of her beau and her dog Chewy.

We had lunch at Applebees and then walked around Home Depot because we needed a few things to do a project.

Savannah is working two jobs and will finish up one class this Fall for her AA Degree and then hopes to attend a beauty school, she likes makeup and would like to apply makeup professionally.

Savannah’s kitty Luna went missing the night of the big storm (Friday) and hasn’t been seen since.  Someone left the door open a bit too long and Luna escaped. 

Yard Report

Early last spring we crawled around the big bunch of grass that grows on the east side of the house, picking out lots of dead stuff and some weeds.  We hauled off two wheelbarrows full of dead stuff. This grass was growing here naturally when we built the house.

The clump has gotten larger over the years.  It must like this spot.  We never water it so it is a maintence free plant except for the spring cleanup…I think it is some kind of Canary Grass but I am not sure. It is quite tall, Far Guy says three feet, I say five feet so we are calling it four feet tall. I may measure it sometime in the light of day.

About 18 years ago I planted a Japanese Tree Lilac (Syringa reticilata) on the west side of the house.  I am still waiting for it to bloom.

Waiting and waiting…  perhaps it is unhappy living amongst the oaks.  I am tempted to give it a trim.  Perhaps it was not a Japanse Tree Lilac afterall.

 

I have left the clover in the west yard for the bees but I will probably have to mow this week.  I saw only two bees over there this past week.  We don’t have bees like we had twenty years ago.

My flower garden on the south side of the house is a failure this year. The squirrels have eaten many of the flowers and what is left is struggling to survive.  The only time the squirrels leave the area is when Chance is outside.

So much for my yard report. One of these days I will photograph the wild gardens and our newest planting.

Busy Week

We had three doctors appointments this past week, so far only one appointment for next week!  A week off for me as Far Guy can go to his Physical Therapy appointment all by himself.

Far Guy has a new Pulmonary Specialist who trained with the Doctor ( Alpha 1 Specialist) that we saw at the Mayo Clinic…so we feel that Far Guy is finally in good hands.  Far Guy is no better, but he is no worse either in regard to his Alpha1 Antitrypsin Deficiency.   The no worse part is in part due to the weekly infusions and staying away from sick people and anyone wearing fragrance of any kind including bug spray.

We had a date night last night and went out for a quick Walleye dinner and then headed over for the Spirit Lake Concert.  It was Bluegrass this week, there was a change of venue due to rain so it was moved indoors to the high school.  We stayed for half of the concert and then it got really warm so we came home and played cards with the neighbors.

We managed to up the total of Christmas Ornaments Ready to Paint: 55  Painted :3 Total 58.  This next week I will begin to paint a few more.

Far Guy is doing R and D on a new flower carving.  Here is the inspiration.

We headed to Sheilas place one night to take photos.  Sheila is attempting to carve Indian Paintbrush also.  I have an idea how I would do it…but right now I just don’t have the time to carve it…only to think about carving it. Sheila graduated from High School with Far Guy and is also in our woodcarving group.

Oh yes Community Education called and would like us to teach another soap carving class this winter. So I said yes…Far Guy and Sheila have agreed to help.

I didn’t mow the lawn this week, but I did spray a bunch of Poison Ivy along the road….It is a job I really enjoy.  I also weeded my poor pathetic flower garden that the squirrels have decimated.

We finally got about 2 inches of rain Friday evening.

Nearing sunset on the runway at Sheilas.

A sign for Josh

My nephew Joshua asked me to paint a sign for his rock at the end of his driveway.  I said “Fine let me look at it.” Now his rock is pretty huge so I figured the sign would be a “project.”

As you can see it took up a large portion of my desk.  The letters were deeply imbedded in the wood and I used a dental syringe filled with paint to work my magic. 

That fish worried me.  Was it a Walleye? Possibly.  I knew it was not a Northern Pike.  It was not a Sunfish. I decided to just do some fish like colors!  I had never painted a fish before.  Uffda what have I gotten myself into???  Good thing I love my nephew! I will drive by this sign on the rock when ever I leave and return home …so it better be good!

I worked on it a number of hours days and fretted over that fish.  I finally called Josh to pick it up…he was in charge of sealing it.  He liked it and so did Mason.

Josh and Missy sealed it and last weekend it was attached to the rock.

An unexpected project was finished! 

I am not going into the sign painting business anytime soon.

Photo Bucket List: Flax

I have a photo bucket list.  One of the things on that list was to photograph a field of Flax. 

Yesterday Chance had to go out early so after he did his business we headed out.  My other baby brother told me about a field up on the prairie.

Flax only blooms for part of the day.

I will wait a few days and go back again.  There are new flowers everyday…until it is bloomed out and the seed heads are formed.

Flax fields are rare in this area. Of course there are different kinds of Flax…oilseed or linen seed.  The oilseed type can be used to make a flour, as a cattle feed or pressed for their oil.  The linen seed type can be used to make  fiber that can be spun …it is called linen (The stalks are dried and pounded and the fibers spun.)

It has been 60 years since I first saw a Flax field south of Lake Park Minnesota late one Sunday morning on my way to Uncle Theron and Aunt Skip’s house.  I have never forgotten what a beautiful sight it was.

Baby Buffalo and Lightning are still on my photo bucket list.

We have smoke in the air from the fires in Canada.