Chance: Making new friends

I have a new friend.  His name is Putzer and he lives just down the road.   He is Odda’s new brother. 

He is just a little bit of a dog.

I was patient with him, however I did growl when he bit my tail.

I told you he is just a little bit of a dog.

Odda is having a hard time.  Far Side says Odda’s nose is outta joint but her nose looked fine to me.  One day this week Far Guy thought there was a bear in our yard, turned out it was just Odda running away from home.  We brought her inside and we called her Mom.  Odda was in big trouble. We were just happy that we were home and could be a safe place for her to run away to.

One time when I was little and got confused and ran across the road into the field, Jo and Leah stopped and picked me up.  They saved me then…so it is only right that we watch out for each other when we can.

The little bit of a dog named “Putzer”  is an Australian Shepherd.  Odda is a Bernese Mountain Dog and me..well I am a Border Collie that blogs:)

In my dreams I can sew!

Yes, anything is possible in my dreams.  I can sew perfectly, I have no wrinkles and my boobs are perky.  ( I know this because I shopped for coral and turquoise lacey little bras in my dreams one night..all the over the shoulder boulder holders I have are far from the lacey variety.)

Back to sewing.  I am not a seamstress, but every once in a while I get a notion that I could be one if I learned how to properly measure and cut and oh yes sew straight.

One of the things on my March list was to make Nancy some quilt squares for the Quilts of Valor she is working on.  I wanted to be a part of her project in some small way.

The first day I came up with a pattern and cut everything out..measuring twice cutting once. I sewed strips of fabric together..and cut them for length. I was doing great humming along as I worked.   Visions of a beautiful quilt danced in my head.  After six hours I had three quilt squares..one was way crooked..I threw it in the garbage.  I measured the other two..they were 12 inches ..not the 12 1/2 inches that was needed.  What did I do wrong?  Was my seam allowance off..math never was my best subject? I piled it all on my desk along with the freaking sewing machine that belongs to Far Guy.

The second day I came up with a new pattern.  This time 4 -4 1/2 inch squares.  When I started sewing them together I realized that 4 was too many..I needed 3.  Duh..math again.  I cut some of those squares out of the two squares that were only 12 inches..better to use them than throw them away..it was too late to recycle the one I threw away in a fit of sewing frustration.

I sewed them all together again..crossing my fingers and toes...they measure a little more than 12 1/2 inches..so Nancy can square them for me.  I am mailing them off to her today.

Two days of working for nine hours and I have three quilt squares.  P.A.T.H.E.T.I.C.

If Nancy doesn’t want to use them I  won’t be offended..but I tried.

My first design involved three pieces sewn together and they were reused in this design..it is a crazy quilt now..not only because of the weird design but because it almost drove me crazy:)

I spy..

I spied some little green buds.

Chance along a deer trail..please do not roll in any deer poop.

And pussy willows..

Spring has temporarily been put on hold, it turned windy (howling banshee windy scare the dog half to death) and now it is cold.  Well, not all that cold..40 degrees ( 4 degrees C).  It is supposed to be warmer this weekend:)

Wistful Wednesday: 4-H

I was a farm kid, so of course I was in 4-H.  I had a steer one year.  I halter trained him and practiced leading him around I even practiced washing him but we didn’t make it to the fair.  If you took animals to the fair, you were expected to stay there and take care of them.  Fair time was always a busy time on the farm.  We could spend some time at the Fair but not all day long. After that disappointment I had different projects..baking and photography…things that could be left at night by themselves.

We had a county wide winter program called Share the Fun.  All of the 4-H Clubs came up with some sort of entertainment to “Share the Fun”  One year I was it..I twirled my baton.  What fun..if you were half way decent you might get asked to the County Fair and I was.

My Mother took a photo of me twirling..even though it looks like I am about ready to jump into the air, I can assure you I kept my feet on the ground.

The photo is marked Frazee 1964.  I was thirteen years old that year.  I was a member of the “Thrifty-Thirty Niners”  4 H Club.  We were a brand new club that was organized because another club on the prairie that was so popular as a club that it got too large.  I loved being part of the prairie group..even though I cannot remember their name... Prairie Partners??  Prairie something..I think.

One year we had a skit for  share the fun. We all had parts.  I played the part of a rotund old man dressed in red long johns complete with a beard and a pillow stuffed belly.  I had a couple of lines..I don’t remember them either but I had to come on stage and scratch my big old belly and say my lines…apparently they were funny lines because everyone laughed. Then I walked off stage scratching my butt.  And the crowd roared.

Back to the twirling.  My Mother made me a real cute white corduroy short skirt that was lined in red satin, it twirled too. ( I must have had some kind of red satin shorts or fancy panties under that short skirt.)   I wore a red blouse and red knee socks and white tennies.  Fetching I am sure.

That is the extent of my stage appearances.  A twirler and a old fat itchy man:)

Package from Norway!

I got a package in the mail the other day.  From Norway! 

Some time ago I was standing in an Antique Shop looking at old photos(Imagine that).  One of our neighbors happened to be in the shop when I ran across a photo that had Bedstemor written on the back. Russ said “That is Grandmother.”  Good enough for me. I bought the photo..because 1. She was a Grandma  2. The rest of her name was on the photo.

Turns out she was the Great Aunt of Conrad Hilton and I can retire on a deserted island. (Just checking to see if you are still reading.)  Yes she really is a Hilton. Just wishing on the island.

Anyways I sent her on the way to Liv her Great Great Granddaughter who had never seen a photo of her before.  Liv lives in Norway and she knit me mittens! Beautiful hand knit mittens. I will treasure them!

IF you want to read the whole story here is the link.  Full Circle 50!!  Yes, I have returned  73 photos in 50 Full Circle posts to family, forgotten photos that I have purchased in antique shops, at garage sales and flea markets.  Cool..It is a really fun hobby!  I work with two researchers, Karl (Iggy) and Sue (Abra), if I am ever lost send those two after me..it is mind boggling the information that they can come up with.  Iggy searches public records and Abra is our link to Ancestry. I have met Abra..she and I have been online friends for about four years now, she lives in Minnesota.  Iggy lives in Pennsylvania..I sure would like to meet him some day just to give him a great big hug!

Some photos are found through a simple search for a name..That is how Liv found the photo of her Great Great Grandmother.

Everyday is an adventure over at Forgotten Old Photos.  One day Abra emailed me the name of a person on Ancestry that would be contacting me about a photo..low and behold it was our old next door neighbors in North Dakota…that surprised even me.  That blog does take some time…I just finished scanning all the old photos I have on hand until I purchase more. I won’t be running out of old photos for that blog for a very long time:)

March 26, 2012

Fifty eight years ago my life as an spoiled rotten brat only child ended with the birth of my brother.  Oh I am sure it was a winter storm to end all storms and 50 below zero the day he was born.  I was too little to remember.  I was 2 1/2 years old. 

We lived at the farm, we had been there about 1 1/2 years.  Our parents were trying their hand at farming, we were poor.   My brother was a sickly colicky baby..always crying..our parents took turns walking the floor with him.  I had nothing to do with it.  He got ear infections really easy so he was supposed to wear a head covering all the time.

He lives far far away in Oregon now.  H.O.W.E.V.E.R. he still gives me a bad time.   He reads the local blog and sometimes leaves me detailed comments.

Recently I wrote a blog about life on the farm ( Wistful Wednesday 1953) and he left me a long comment.

“Nice memories, I remember you being in the house and ME having to go do chores, you had the advantage of being the “girl”. I also remember ME still having to do dishes after supper, I never did think THAT was fair.

You should have told the part where when you were two of petting the bull’s back legs while standing right behind it. Dad thought you were going to get kicked across the barn, and ran by and grabbed you before the bull kicked. Twas a very mean bull, you were lucky, I think that is why you had your own special pen made, just for you.

I remember, going down into the basement changing into “chore” clothes and then going out the barn, doing the chores and after making sure the boots were clean in the snow, going back to the basement after 2 hours of chores changing out of the “chore” clothes again in the basement.

Mom and Dad would on occasion let me off early if a special TV show was on like Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. Hard work, it didn’t harm me, but you always had the sweeter deal. I’ve often wondered how much easier life would have been for me if you had been a boy.”

A boy??   A BOY???  Turn out all these years he wanted an older brother to help him do chores instead of a bossy older sister.

Mom, Carey and Me  Summer of 1955

I wonder who he would have borrowed that scarf and that skirt from..??

I replied to him:

Possibly when you were a baby we both went to the barn..of course me being older and a GIRL and more responsible I would have taken very good care of you:)

I do not remember life without my brother and I know that he cannot remember life without me.  Now I know what I always suspected..he tried to turn me into a Tom Boy!  Happy Birthday Baby Brother:)

More Spring!

We went out and about to see what other signs of spring we could find.

The ice went out on the lake on March 23 or early on March 24.

For years and years I kept track of the ice out dates.  One year it was May..most of the time it was right around April 18.  That is our oldest daughters birthday, so that was easy for me to remember as an average date.  That would mean that we are officially 25 days ahead of our usual ice out date.

The pussy willows are busting out at the Dead Beaver Area.

Far Guy and I were talking..how much of this “new weather” is just a fluke of nature?  What else can we realistically blame it on..global warming?  The earthquake last year in Japan shifting the earth’s axis?  Obama..that is a funny..well maybe not so much.  I read where the weathermen are blaming it on “atmospheric blocking” or a blocking pattern.  Weather repeats itself for days and even weeks.  What ever it is I like it!  However I find it hard to believe that winter is over.

Yesterday I saw a mosquito and a bee.  The Junco’s left.  A pair of robins sits high in a tree near the patio to watch Chance.  Far Guy is watching to see how long it will take them to build their nest on his step ladder that rests against the east side of his garage.  It is a high dry spot to raise a family.

We watched Hockey yesterday.  The Fighting Sioux or North Dakota as they are called for the purposes of the NCAA is one step closer to the Frozen Four.  They play again today.  I cleaned the bathroom closet whilst watching the game yesterday.  Today I will tackle the drawers in the bathroom..I have new drawer liner stuff and everything!  I can watch hockey and spring house clean all at the same time:)

Robin!

Finally a Robin!  A big hungry one plucking worms out of the lawn near the daylilies.

Just one..and he didn’t stick around very long.

“She Who Sees Robins First” is my sister in law, she is married to my other baby brother and they live next door.  She always sees Robins before me…always.

I am kind of a nut about dates..Phenology..keeping track of the the date each year something occurs. 

The Robins:

2008   She April 05….Me April 19 ( I thought about taking remedial Robin sighting classes that year.)

2009 She April 11…Me April 11 ( It was really close ..about an hour apart..she defeated me again..but I held out hope that I was gaining on her.)

2010 She April 02…Me April 05 ( I fell three days behind.)

2011 She ( Oh sometime last week I saw four of them)..Me April 04  at 7 PM.

2012 She Sunday March 18 this year..I am behind again by five days.  I caught this photo yesterday morning March 23 at 9:30 AM.

See me making the “L” sign with my thumb and pointy finger and putting it on my forehead. Loser.. loser..

The lawn is starting to green up a bit.  We got some rain and that helped.  It thundered and the big brave dog hid back in the furnace room.  He doesn’t like thunder or firecrackers or chainsaws:)

Summer in March

We have had an early week of summer.  In fact it has been warmer this week than it is sometimes during the summer.  I went to town without a coat.  I put away my good snow boots, and resurrected my crocs..I will wear them with socks if it gets cold again. My down parka is still hanging at the ready..I might need it yet this spring. No one has dared to carry the snow shovel away yet.

I have not seen a Robin in our yard yet..Far Guy saw one..but by the time I made it outside with the camera it flew off..most likely to “She who see Robins first” house.  Everyone in the entire neighborhood will see one before me.   The Juncos are here now resting and eating before they head north. I am waiting for the Goldfinches to come and the Grosbeaks.  Our usual Chickadees, Nuthatches and Woodpeckers frequent the feeders.  We brought in the peanut butter feeder..it was all melty and might attract a bear. All the bird feeders may have to go in the garage at night very soon.  Bears usually don’t wake up until late April or early May, but with this warm weather they may be waking up hungry soon.

The Swans and the Geese are flying overhead.  The June bugs are still hitting the windows at night.  I heard spring peepers the other day when were near a swamp.  Skunks are out and a few have met a happy demise on the highway.

A few farmers can be seen working out in the fields.

Someone must be spreading a little hay for Joes horses.  We went up and watched the horses one afternoon..Chance likes to watch them too:)

What’s Up?

Daylilies are coming up through the cover of leaves.

Every fall I rake a bunch of leaves over the daylilies to protect them from frost heaves.  The leaves help to keep in the moisture too..I will clean up around the edges of the bed one of these days.

The temperature was up too.  Record high temperatures for March!

I bought a new thermometer..it is too dark.  I cannot see it from the house..I should have opted for the plain white background..but the Cardinals won me over.  Oh well after Chance’s ball accidently hits it a few times it won’t give the correct temperature anyway.  In the meantime I will enjoy the Cardinals.  In a small town farm supply store choices are limited.

The presentation went well the other day.  About sixty people attended, they had several questions and everyone seemed to enjoy the program.  So there..done with that ..check it off the list!  I came home had lunch and crashed on the couch for about three hours.  Boy did I sleep good!

I met way too many people and I will never remember all their names.  I received two complaints  from would be volunteers who are not volunteering because of prior conflicts with board members.  It is all water under the bridge stuff that people just cannot let go of.  I do not know how to overcome it. It is frustrating for me.  Small towns..ya know. Not everyone gets along with everyone all the time.  I am trying very hard to change some old attitudes about the Historical Society people being pushy outspoken unfriendly snobs.  Heck I am friendly and I smile even if I am cranky.

I might not be the right person to get this all turned around.  I was asked point blank why they cannot seem to keep a director for more than a couple years?   I had to answer truthfully..too many bosses and everyone wants to be queen or king bee when they all need to be worker bees. In a few years I am sure I will give up also, unless I see some improvement. 

I am still a little tired from the transition to Daylight Saving Time. Stress of any kind just wipes me out.  Forget pacing the floor wringing my hands..or the obsessive cleaning I did when I was younger..I just begin to yawn and must have a good long nap:)

Wistful Wednesday: 1958-59

I had the occasion to scan some very old photographs.  They are from Jackie.  She was gracious enough to share so that we could make copies for the museum.

In 1958-1959 Far Guy was in third grade.

He is in the back row..second boy from the right.  I asked him what the teachers name was.  He does not recall.   Perhaps blog reader Ann knows, she is in the second row fifth from the left..with the poufy hair!  Jackie is the gal next to Far Guy..he had to take turns..between he and his friend Mark they are standing next to Jackie in many of the old class photos.  There were several class sections per grade.

This photo was taken fifty-three years ago..most everyone in this photo is retired or thinking about it.   We spoke with Betty the other day..the little gal in the second row sixth from the left..she is counting the years and the days until she is 65.

I asked Far Guy what he remembered about third grade.  He said “ I don’t recall the teachers name or anything that happened that year.”

My third grade memories:

Third grade seems so long ago..I remember it as the year that I learned how to do long division.  I struggled and struggled with it..until one day the light must have come on, from then on I could do long division.

My Teacher was Mrs. Stearns..a neighbor lady who died just last year. She was a wonderful teacher.  She had beautiful dark hair and wore red lipstick.  We said The Pledge of Allegiance in the morning and prayed before going for lunch in the cafeteria/gym.

I can almost feel the hard desk seat that swiveled to the side and see the desk that had a top that lifted up to expose where all my books and supplies were neatly stored.  The stub of a pencil is posed over my math paper, when I am not forming numbers I am making teeth marks in the outer shell of the yellow pencil.

Do you have any third grade memories that you would like to share today? :)

First Day of Spring

One more day..one more day…I am wishing my life away.  The last winter program for the Historical Museum happens Tuesday (today yea!!!!)  I will be glad to get it over with.  This program has involved lots of work.  I made a slide show presentation. (Then and Now) I have a passel of things to drag out of the museum and get organized as a display. 

Far Guy got a new lumberjack shirt.  His volunteer uniform consists of jeans, a red and black checked flannel shirt, a hat to match, suspenders and red socks peeking above his boots.   Others participating in the program will be dressed in costumes.  They asked me who I was coming as..I replied..plain old me.  I wanted to sew a Prairie Dress over the winter..but it was just one of those things that never got done.  Me and sewing with a machine is a real stretch of my imagination.

I tried to sew some quilt squares yesterday..after six hours I have nothing to show for my efforts..I do not have the tools to keep the squares square.  The stupid sewing machine sits on my desk, for now it has won the battle..but I plan to win the war and will begin all over again one day soon. I might have to go buy some more material if I keep messing up. But it ain’t over til it’s over.

I have stacks of old photos all over..I am in the midst of scanning the last couple of batches for Forgotten Old Photos.  I will not have time to scan and research them over the summer, so all of that ground work is being laid now.

I have not worked on the Cousins Recipe Book at all lately..it is on my radar.  I had been working on it late at night.  I just want to get it over with!

After the dreaded program I will re evaluate everything…. I have bathroom tile to strip and reseal..and bathroom drawers to clean out…and a garage to straighten up.  If it ain’t one thing it is forty million others.

Chance had his first deer tick today, it was not stuck, it was just crawling in his fur.  We saw Robins in town but none out here yet.  Although “she who sees robins first” probably saw them last week.

Happy First Day of Spring! :)

Shell River at Shell Lake

Fog

On Saturday after the big parade we went to see if any antiques shops were open in Dorset.  As we approached Long Lake we encountered a dense bank of fog.

We found one of our favorite antiques shops open.  I bought some old photos and Far Guy bought an old soda fountain dispenser..not sure why..

On the way back the heavy fog had dissipated..but there was still some out on the lake.

 

It is called advection fog and it is caused by the horizontal movement of warm moist air over a cold surface.

This pair of Canada Geese were on and off the ice. It looks a bit spooky.

Sometime or another I read a book or saw a movie perhaps it was called “The Fog”  where people drove into the fog and disappeared. I am not a fan of scary movies.  I still have not been able to make it through “The Shining”  darn Jack Nicholson anyway. Talking about nightmares..

Is anyone else out there having dreams about Alzheimer's?  I am stuck in dreamland not being able to remember where I live or something simple that I should know..like my name.  They are becoming very troublesome dreams.  Even worse than my looking for a clean bathroom dreams.  At least I can understand those.

In my dreams Far Guy knows where we live and he won’t tell me and that is starting to irritate me just a little… a couple more nights of him not answering me..might result in me being more cranky than normal:)

St. Urho’s Day Parade

The parade was wonderful all five minutes of it..it was about 60 degrees and overcast.

The Finnish Flag Bearer

You can see the grasshopper dragging some of the grapes on the way out of town.

The cutest grasshopper

There were two of these little grasshoppers, just as cute as they could be.

There were even some of our relatives..imagine that.

Helen and Archie driving the Wolf Lake Royalty.

The Knights of St. Urho

Resplendent in their underwear over their long underwear.

Even some weekend wannabees!

Chance could even read this sign ROOWF..ROOWF!

It was a fun parade, I will look forward to it again next year!

We took Chance down to the St. Urho statue for a photo!

If you are ever in Menahga Minnesota  around March 16th you might want to put the St. Urho’s Day parade on your schedule:)

March 17 2012

The yard is brown.  Even though the temperatures are warm..almost 70 degrees yesterday, it feels like spring but it does not look like spring yet. 

You can see the snow stick on the right.   Far Guy has been waging war with the acorns.  There was such a good crop that you could be propelled across the lawn on them.  He had the old mower out and tried to chop them up..you cannot blame a guy for trying.
Ugly bug warning!

These bugs are hitting the windows at night..this one was out during the day.  I call them June Bugs..I did not take Entomology.  Anyways these bugs did not get the memo that it is March and technically still winter. They usually hit the windows in May not in March.
Our hundreds of Red Polls that were here and eating thistle seed like it was their last supper left with the warm weather.  There were about six hanging around the feeders yesterday along with our normal Woodpeckers, Nuthatches and Chickadees.
We went down to the Dead Beaver Area on the river yesterday to see how it was melting.



We are having great date nights this week. Tonight is the third night in a row for a “date.”  Hockey is pretty good  lately..The Fighting Sioux pulled out a win last night..they played the Minnesota Gophers.  We are Sioux fans..turncoats, I know. Tonight they play again..Denver.  I usually watch from one couch and Far Guy from the other, I sometimes doze off between goals,  Far Guy does a play by play commentary so I can keep my eyes closed and still keep up with the game…sometimes I find his voice so soothing I wake myself up snoring:)

Happy St. Urho’s Day!

Let the wearin’ of the purple and the green commence!  Chase some grasshoppers if you see them..make and eat some mojakka. ( I made some beef mojakka a couple of weeks ago..all packaged into individual servings and in the freezer!!)

The big parade down in Menahga commences at 12:20 TOMORROW.  I will be there taking some photographs.  You have to be on time because the parade only lasts about five minutes. The brave townspeople will escort those pesky grasshoppers out of town.

Now for the St. Urho’s Day Poem

Ooksie kooksie kollme vee
Santia Urho is the boy for me
He chase out the hopper as big as pirds
Never before have I heard those words
He really told those bugs of green
Bravest Finn I ever seen
Some celebrate for St. Pat and his snake
But that Urho boy got what it takes
He got tall and strong on feelia sour
And ate Kalla Mojakkaa every hour
Thats why that guy dould chase those beetles
That crew as thick as jack pine needles
So let's give a cheer
in our very best way
On the sixteenth of March
St. Urho's Day!

Kalla Mojakkaa is Fish Soup..you can make that if you wish..or you can make beef or pork or lamb.  I always make beef mojakka. I will be passing on that feelia sour (thick sour milk).

I missed the parade last year because we had an ice storm..this year we are supposed to have 68 degrees and sunshine:)