Happy Halloween!

The candy has been purchased and put into cute little green bags decorated with scary black cats all hunched up.

We will be awaiting the hoards of goblins..we might get 8 possibly up to 10 children. Each one will have to pose for a photo before getting any candy!

Here is daughter Jen’s take on Halloween pumpkins this year. She goes all out for Halloween.

Of course it was more impressive at night.

Our grands are getting older..Adam is the only one who will go Trick or Treating this year. 

Here in the “boonies” kids still wait to go out the real evening of Halloween.  So what if Halloween isn’t on a weekend. I remember how excited our girls used to be to go out with their Dad in snow and sleet and icy rain..dressed in snowsuits and sometimes wrapped in blankets. It was always an adventure they shared on October 31st.

Of course I remember what I used to say on Halloween. “Trick or Treat..money or eats..or we will tip your toilet over!.” (this was a long time ago..when everyone in the country had outhouses.) :)

Chance: Forgotten Birthday

HELLO it is I the handsome blogging Border Collie..whose birthday was totally forgotten.

On Tuesday October 25 I was seven years old.  No celebration..no atta boys.  Finally on Friday ( three count them three days late) Far Side said “I think one of these days it is the boys birthday!”  ( The boy..meaning me..as I am the only boy they have ..other than the Grand boys.)

She checked my record..and sure enough my big day was history.  They forgot. What happened that was so important?  Nothing..they are G.E.T.T.I.N.G. O.L.D.

So what happened on my birthday?  We played ball..we play ball everyday..I got treats..I get treats everyday..we walked to the mail box..of course we do that everyday too..except Sunday ( I think that the mail should go seven days a week).  So I guess nothing special happened..except I turned 7:(

Frosty

We had a really hard frost on Thursday morning.  Then a chance of snow was forecast for Friday morning..it did not develop…although it certainly was cold enough.

We had some fog that went along with the frost.

Chance and I walked around in the yard.  Catching the last bit of Fall in photos.

Wild Raspberry foliage turns such a delicious color in the Fall.

The spiders have been busy building their webs on the climbing roses.

The rose foliage was still green..and frosty.

I think that winter may be coming soon…although with very little moisture..make than no moisture in the ground, I am sure it will be a hard winter for perennials and trees.  If the snow stays away and the temperatures stay above freezing..I would welcome a couple of weeks of rain.

Our yard work is mostly done…all the leaves are in the woods or have been mulched to smithereens.  Chance’s pool has been put away.  Far Guy mowed the wildflower area.  Far Guy is still cutting and stacking wood.  I have been busy doing some Fall house cleaning and playing catch up…not that I will ever be caught up but I am giving it a good try:)

Minne kukat kadonneet

Long time passing

Minne kukat kadonneet

Long time ago

Minne kukat kadonneet

Gone..the flowers are all gone..:(

No Trespassing

Deer Hunting will start soon.  Our signs were getting old.  Some say No Hunting and some say No Trespassing. There are enough of us that live back here in the woods.. we don’t need some idiot shooting every which way in our neighborhood.  My Dad will hunt at his deer stand which is away from all of the houses.

A few of the signs have been ripped down.  Some people don’t like signs.  I dislike having the signs attached to trees. We use the power poles when we can.  Sometimes we have to use a tree.

Far Guy needed help, I was to drive the three wheeler and Far Guy was to ride in the wagon with all the signs.  This is supposed to be an easy project..it will just take a few minutes.  Well the three wheeler would not start..the spark plug was bad.  So we drove fourteen miles into town because we had no extra spark plugs.  It was threatening to rain.  Finally we got on our way over an hour later..

I drove into the ditch..the trailer overturned and Far Guy went flying in the air.  I looked back and it seemed like he was in the air forever before he finally landed.   Holy Crap!  Have I  broken his bad hip or even worse have I killed him? I hop off ..and tend to him.  Yup he is OK..he can move everything.. he can get up and he is limping just like normal.  He wanted to finish putting up the signs..

I was sure he was going to be really sore the next day..luckily he was no worse for the wear.  Next time I should make him wear a helmet:)

Wistful Wednesday: 1981

When we ( Far Guy ) was done with Active Duty and we moved back to Minnesota from Florida we lived in an apartment for awhile. Trica called it the brick sidewall.  A name she made up..it had bricks…she was three. I was pregnant with Jennifer.   Apartment living drove us all nuts, I did not want to bring a new baby home to that apartment, where we had to walk the dog on a leash and goodness knows who was roaming the halls at night.  We could not afford a house so we settled into a brand new mobile home in Regal Estates for a few years..six to be exact ( 1975 to 1981).

Thirty years ago we bought our first house in Moorhead Minnesota.

 

In the summer of 1981 the interest rate was 18 1/2 percent. We were in a recession. ( Lets all say Uffda together!)  The house had been a foreclosure. We paid almost as much in interest as we did payments.  The house cost $24,900.00  it had two bedrooms, one bath, kitchen, and a living room dining room combined.  It was about 900 square feet.  It did have a basement and a huge fenced backyard with a garden spot.  It was less than one block from the city park, and a block and a half from the neighborhood school. It was perfect..except for the payment..and the fact that we had very little furniture.  I was working nights, Far Guy worked days.  We saw each other either at 1:30AM when I got home from work..or at 6AM when he got up to go to work and Sundays. We didn’t need daycare for the girls..they were six and nine.  I slept after I got them off to school.

We bought furniture and redecorated every room in the house. We re-shingled the garage and built a deck in the backyard…where I hung my collection of wind chimes. It was home for seven years, until we moved to the lake. 

Back in early October we were in North Moorhead and I was driving..and I had my camera..imagine that.

It is still a well kept house..I wonder what it looked like inside? Was the kitchen still country blue and off white with a rust colored linoleum floor?  Was the basement still knotty pine?  Far Guy said “Yup the chimney is still crooked.”

We drove by the school..

This is the corner where the neighborhood school used to be..sadly it is no longer there.  I can still see the double doors that welcomed my children inside..and the playground with the swings with the “soft rocks”.  I could almost hear the children and their friends laughing and talking:)

Carving: The Lady Slipper

Over the summer I was able to go to carving but never for very long..I always had something else to do that day ..grocery shopping..laundry..life..you get the picture.

The group began a new project.  Byron learned how to carve a Lady Slipper ( the flower).  He brought in blanks..those are the wooden pieces that must be carved…and tutored the rest of us as we carved.  Most everyone is done..except me. 

Here are mine.

It is a work in progress.  I am on my second set of petals..those wingy looking things up in the right hand corner.  The first set..I carved and carved..until they got really tiny..too tiny to look good.

This is Far Guys..I took a quick photo of it before he mailed it off to his sister.  He did great..it is a masterpiece!

I painted it for him..he wanted the colors muted and soft looking.  I used acrylic paint and watered it down, Far Guy sealed it with beeswax. 

Byron is making them by the bunch..these are carved from Black Ash.

Sigh..I wish mine was done.  It must go on the back burner for a bit while we carve Christmas ornaments. No clues right now what they are..it is always a surprise:)

The Skunking

Chance still smells a little like skunk..even though he has endured many baths.  If he gets wet in the morning dew..the odor is accentuated.   Good thing we love him as much as we do!

Take it from me..skunk smell is the worst.  I wish I had known about the “Magic Stuff” back in the late 1980’s when a skunk walked right up to the fence where the Shelties were and sprayed Misty.

Rule One: Never let a dog that has been skunked into the house.  The oil will drip all over…and smell for weeks.

Rule Two:  Use rubber gloves..I did not use them with Misty..I picked her up..bad move.  I smelled like skunk until my finger nails grew out.

I washed her with everything possible..tomato juice..lemon juice..nothing  helped.  She smelled like skunk every time she got wet.  She eventually went blind..there is much controversy about skunk yuck blinding dogs.  The old timers will tell you that it happens often..the young Vets will tell you it is an old wives tale.

This is the first time that Chance has encountered a skunk.  Far Guy thinks the skunk was under the bird feeders…and Chance knew something was in the yard..and when Far Guy opened the door Chance ran out and the chase was on..for about 10 seconds.

Chance came right back to the door.  Dogs that have been skunked are a miserable mess..they will be foaming at the mouth..sometimes blinded by the spray and usually vomiting..Chance was all of those.  We did not let him in the house. We treated him with “the stuff” outside in the yard.

Far Guy announced the skunking about the same time as I smelled it.   Luckily I had all the ingredients to neutralize the smell.

“ The Magic Stuff”

One Quart 3% Hydrogen Peroxide

1/4 to 1/2 cup Baking Soda

2 teaspoons Soft-soap or Dawn dish soap

Mix together and scrub into the dog..being careful not to get any in his eyes.  Let set for ten minutes..rinse and repeat until the smell is mostly gone.  You won’t be able to tell..cause by then everything will smell like skunk to you.  Do not save the mixed up mixture…because it can explode if it is in a closed container. Discard any solution not used.

I now have a skunk bucket..with all the required ingredients inside along with two pair of disposable gloves.  I had to quickly look up the recipe..now it is also in the bucket..should there be a next time. ( I hope there is not a next time.)

It was a full moon that night..and the bird feeders were out. The skunks are looking for any food source they can find..they are bulking up now to go into hibernation when it snows.

I walk Chance at night on his lead.  Far Guy is a bit braver and allows him off lead but requires that he stay right next to him.  They have been practicing the word stop…and Far Guy takes the humongous Cyclops Flashlight outdoors with him at night.

  Miney, Chance and Little Elvis. 

We took care of Miney and Little Elvis last week..no one got skunked…thank goodness. In this photo they were stuck in the house with me..but they all wanted to be outside with Far Guy.

I have always wanted a solid wooden fenced in area in the back of the house..one that could be accessed by the door upstairs. It is now on my list:)

Fargo: The Train Show

We headed south from Winnipeg..picked up Chance and went to the Crystal Ballroom at the Ramada in Fargo North Dakota.

We could not resist…

a chocolate car:)

a spotlight car

TA DA..this is the one I purchased..it is a gang car..I guess the gang goes out to work on the track.  I also purchased that little W..it is supposed to trigger the whistle when it is connected to the track..I wanted more..but Far Guy said one was plenty.  Someone (think grandson) has already played with my gang car enough that one of my gang went flying off.   I have the original box too..all good Lionel Collectors go for the boxes too..not that I am collecting them or anything. I spent more for this one car than Far Guy did for all the other cars he bought that day.

The train upstairs.

I think perhaps Far Guy needs to build more shelves..

It was a good weekend, one we both enjoyed. Chance survived too..he did just fine without us for 36 hours, Jen, Andy and the grandboys took real good care of him:)

Canada :The Train Show

This is what we went to Winnipeg for..the Train Show.  You see we are addicted..and should go into treatment.

I am not as addicted to the trains..as I am the road trips to the train shows that may or may not go right by an antique shop.

In Canada there were some really large scale trains.  We did manage to find a couple of O Scale Lionel cars. There were booths on two levels, which gave lots of space for layouts.

These are both some kind of cars that shoot missiles. I am not sure what they are doing in my windowsill. Resting perhaps. That is my Lionel box…I bought something for Far Guy the next day at the Train Show in Fargo, North Dakota.

Here is another purchase from the Winnipeg Train Show.   Far Guy has not taken it out of the box yet..so I didn’t either.

We got up early had breakfast and were at the train show just as it opened. I noticed a few people still say “A”  after every sentence.  Our waitress said “for sure” many times.  By the time we left town, I almost knew my way around town.

Onto the next Train Show in Fargo North Dakota.

This is the checkpoint at the border.  The lady that checked us through was really sweet.  She asked where we were from and what we did in Canada.  She ran our passports through some kind of machine…and we were told to wait.  So we did, then she handed back our passports and told us to have a good day:)

Canada: The Forks

“The Forks” is an area near downtown at the junction of the Red River and the Assiniboine River.

We were tired of the wind blowing fifty miles an hour..so after the Zoo we escaped indoors.

There was an indoor market where you could buy almost any kind of food you like..with an emphasis on Sushi. ( I have never had Sushi..and I am not sure I want to try it.)  I heard that there was an antique shop in this area..someplace.  I asked a little old lady.  She said “I have no idea..I traveled 400 miles to get my reading today.”

Now this gal had an “Authentic Crystal Ball”  versus an non authentic one..and she was busy with the travelers.  Someone came out and called names just like in a Doctors Office..unbelievable.

We wandered around..finally I asked two Paramedics ( not sure why they were in the market..might have been there for Sushi victims or maybe for Palmistry gone awry) “Where is the antique shop?” They “thought” it was next door in the basement.

I asked a custodian in the building next door.  She just shook her head.  Far Guy said later that she was foreign speaking only..and had no idea what I had asked her.  I finally asked at a Tourist Info Kiosk..where they spoke English.

The Antique Shop was great, I found some old black and white snapshots that were different than what I can get here in the US.

We would have been hopelessly lost without Jen and Andy's Garmin.  There was lots of road construction and a few detours.  It guided us through and around..and got us from one place to another.  It is an amazing piece of technology. OR at least we thought so..then it told us to make a U-Turn..and we both questioned that..but sure enough we did have to make a left and another quick left into a parking lot. I did most of the driving..Far Guy hates traffic and makes me nervous..so I am better off driving.

We eventually found a motel and a place for supper..but we both had breakfast..because who can mess up eggs?  I wouldn’t write home about any of the food we had on our trip..next time I will pack lunches to take along.

I was surprised at what a melting pot Winnipeg seemed to be. People from all different countries..and most of them owned a restaurant or a store that specialized in their food or their goods. 

This is the Canadian Museum for Human Rights that is being built in the forks area.  It is a Canadian National Museum..and the budget for this building is 310 million dollars. Entering the building at ground level you will travel through walkways and spaces and end your journey at the tower of hope sometime next year after it has been completed. It is supposed to be an International Landmark in the heart of Canada:)

Canada : The Zoo

One of my favorite places from years ago was the Assiniboine Zoo.  It has changed since we were there last when the girls were little.

Many parts of the zoo were under construction, 200 million dollars in improvements are happening at the zoo.  Many of the animals had been moved from their enclosures.

This mama kangaroo had a full pouch..but she was determined to keep her baby faced away from us. 

There were cavorting kangaroos.  The males are much larger than the females in the Red Kangaroo Family.

The wind was howling ninety miles an hour.. we stopped for lunch. $27.00 later we consumed one Chicken sandwich, two orders of French Fries a coke and a coffee. ( The hamburger was inedible…  I wondered where they got such terrible tasting meat.)

We headed for Toucan Ridge..where there were no Toucans.

We enjoyed the Flamingos.  There were a whole bunch of photography students that were in the building, with all kinds of fancy cameras.

At the Discovery Center we watched a Meercat..and he watched us.

I used to watch that show about the Meercats on the Discovery Channel..until one night one of the favorites was killed and they all stood watch over the body..that was too much for me..It made me sob uncontrollably.. and I have not watched the Meercats since..although they are awfully cute.

We did NOT go into The Reptile House..for obvious reasons.  They did have a snake in one exhibit at the Discovery Center, I saw the sign, at which time I promptly closed my eyes and Far Guy led me out of the area.  I am not sure if he saw the snake or not..I didn’t ask.  I wish they would keep all the snakes together.  It should be a rule.

The Butterfly house was closed for the season..I figured that it would be.  They have very extensive gardens in the Assiniboine Park..that would be awesome during the summer. Perhaps I will have to put Winnipeg back on the list:)

Wistful Wednesday: 1961

When Far Guy was younger he had a go cart. Fifty years ago…

This photo was taken in the yard at his home in Park Rapids. I am sure that next door neighbor Emil was thrilled with all the go cart activity in the neighborhood alley.  Emil was a bit of a grump.

 

Fifty years later:

The Grand boys got a go cart.  I am not sure..but I think their Dad who is just a grown up boy may have had something to do with this.

They didn’t have a safe place to ride at their house.  So they brought it here..along with the helmets I requested. 

We still need to attach a flag to it so that it can be seen better. Adam needs to practice looking both ways when he goes out of the driveway ( just one of the many rules).  Noah followed all the rules (as far as I could tell) and he would often follow his little brother around on the three wheeler.  I am not sure if this was out of concern for his brother..or if he just likes driving the three wheeler:)