Goodbye June

I am glad to be on the last day of this month.  One third of the summer is gone.

Yesterday is was so windy that Chance hid in the house most of the day.  I was outside for awhile until I couldn’t stand it anymore.  The trees were swaying this way and that way in the 40 MPH winds.  The skeeters couldn’t even manage the winds

We finished dusting in the kitchen, those open cupboards are a pain in the neck sometimes.  Whatever I have not used recently was washed and put back on the shelves.

They are nice when it comes time to serve something…you just grab what you need.  When the grands help with dishes it is easy to see what goes where. Most of what is up there is just dust catchers.  I have not used the set of Loon dishes in years.  The cups look funny upside down.

We watched a good movie the other day “Bernie” on Netflix…I enjoyed it.  I finally finished the book I was reading about Alaska called Alaska Bound.  It wasn’t a fantastic book but it kept me reading.  Now I am reading a piece of fluff…one step above a comic book. 

We have had our fair share of rain, the area we live in (West Central) is very sandy and has never flooded.  However from what I hear the Southern part and Northern part of Minnesota are not so lucky. Lakes and rivers are full to over flowing.

June is almost over

One more day and June is history.  Seems like it has rained lots in June.  Lots of rain means lots of lawn mowing….about every three days.

We went for a ride and let Chance hang his head out the window. 

We stopped at Steve and Jo’s  and enjoyed their deck.  Got to pet Putzer he is a sweetheart.  Odda wouldn’t come out of the house…it had thundered earlier in the day... and there were fireworks down at the lake in the late afternoon.

We are on the lookout for a pair of twin fawns that are reported to be in the hay field from time to time.

Hay field partially cut.   Many farmers have hay down and it is getting rained on.

We have a feral cat..it is white and brown…and a bunny rabbit.

Good to see rabbits again.   Must mean that the fox has moved out of the area.

One turned into five

The Yellow Lady’s Slippers along the back drive had one early bloom and four late ones…so there were five in total.  In 2012 there were seven blooms.

This year there are four…

and this one makes five.

We have been working on our woodcarvings that are Christmas Ornaments.   They are coming along.

Jen had a 8mm kidney stone blasted yesterday, hopefully the particles are small enough to pass on their own now.   She was resting…and Handy Andy will be taking good care of her.

Far Guy is feeling better, he still has a bit of a cough.  I am feeling better except I am still real tired.  So I rest and nap.

Dangers While Mowing

Sure there are the normal dangers; rocks, twigs and PI ( Poison Ivy) and trees to watch out for.

I never dreamt that I would encounter a deer like I did yesterday.  I was tootling along, I am finally getting the hang of that hydrostatic drive that some man invented where I have to push in the pedal  to move forward…there is some fancy crap you have to do to go backwards…turn the key a certain way and push a button and then press some other pedal…I hardly ever back up anyways.  I usually just get off and push it backwards.

Anyways I was tootling along minding my own mowing business and a deer came out of nowhere and jumped over me and the mower.  Talk about a scary experience…good thing she or he was a good jumper.

Last evening we went for a ride…saw this one..it might have been her?

Was it you? 

So now I will warn everyone look out for deer when you are mowing, they cannot be trusted…luckily I am unscathed and it was a good thing I went to the bathroom before I began mowing.

Not Much Happening

We are a quiet bunch here in convalescent land.  We putz around…we steamed the tile floors…worked on Christmas Ornaments…took naps…played ball with Chance…did some laundry.   I have finally been reading on my Kindle Fire again. 

The Lupines are still blooming.  The cool weather we have been having extends their bloom times.  It was barely 70 F yesterday and cloudy all day, spitting rain a few times.

These blooms were playing peek a boo with the fence.

I planted Lupines about 14 years ago and since then they have reseeded themselves all over, they are buggers to transplant so they just bloom wherever they grow.

I am listening to my body…when it says I am tired I lay down and nap..sometimes for more than a few hours.  No worries Chance wakes someone up at 5:30 because he is getting hungry and someone should be in the kitchen cooking supper by then.  I swear if the dog could cook he would, he lays in the kitchen the entire time someone is cooking…supervising and making sure his dish gets fixed…even though he has a bowl of dry food available all the time.  Sometimes I wonder just who is in charge of who in this household.

Wistful Wednesday : The Barn

We drive by the  farm where I grew up quite often it is only 2 1/2 miles from where we live now.

That silo is newer…it wasn’t there when I lived there.  The silo we had was closer to the barn…to feed silage.   The barn has seen better days.  Someday a wind or snow load will take it down.

Of course it was a tired looking barn when I was little…this photo was probably taken about sixty years ago.

It was always a white barn…not sure why?  Perhaps the blue roof had something to do with it.

I believe that Loren Lemon probably built this barn or part of the Lemon family… he is a Great Uncle of Far Guys.  Loren was married to Florence Graham Lemon…she was Walt Grahams sister. Years ago the three farms along the 6th mile of  Highway 225 on the right side of the road would have belonged to  Loren and Florence Graham Lemon, Curtis and Almeada Lemon Abbott( Far Guy’s maternal grandparents) and Walter and Dora Graham.  I remember them all except for Loren and Florence because  my parents bought their farm.

Showy Lady’s Slippers

The Minnesota State Flower is an orchid called the Showy Lady’s Slipper or Cypripedium reginae.  Of course I knew where to find just a few.

These are on the west side of Shell Lake.

There are many along other roads where it is either dusty or they have mowed them off already, some are in such traffic heavy areas taking photos is out of the question.

Where we were last evening only one car came speeding by.

Update on the White Lady’s Slipper that Jo and I found a few years ago.  The deer have eaten them off again.

Buggers anyway.  The white ones grow a bit taller than the Showy Lady’s Slippers and they must be real tasty.

Far Guy had a Neurologist appointment in Fargo yesterday, we got up early to go and were home by 11 AM.  I made us eggs ( farm fresh from friends of my other baby brother) and bacon after I cleaned up the kitchen I had a four hour nap.

The appointment went fine…although some equilibrium problems were noticed hopefully it is from his “crud” or some fluid on his ears. 

Smooth Solomon’s Seal

For year and years we have had one Smooth Solomon’s Seal along the driveway.  This year we are blessed with two plants!

Polygonatum biflorum is in the Lily Family.

The bell shaped flowers hang delicately below the foliage in groups of 2 to 10.  Looks like ours are 3 to 4.

It is an interesting plant and one which I look forward to seeing every year.

We had a quiet weekend.  I napped most of Saturday, I only did minor chores…one load of laundry and the dishes.  Yesterday Jen, Andy and the Grand boys came to visit.  Sure was good to see them and think about something else for awhile. 

Yellow Lady’s Slipper

The Yellow Lady’s Slipper was well worth the walk down the back drive.

She is a little lonely this year, it was a tough winter.  Last year we had seven blooms and this year only one.

She is a beauty.  Her real name is Cypripedium  parviflorum.  This is just one of the 42 species of native orchids in Minnesota.

At least one survived and she will spread her pepper like seeds and hopefully they will fall on the special fungus that they need to survive and grow and in 20 years or so there will be more orchids.

Roses and a walk

Chance and I went for a walk.

The skeeters are alive and well.

The Wild Roses have just begun to bloom.  This rose is native to Minnesota.

It is interesting to note that some Wild White Roses showed up at the old school site near the cemetery. This is the first year I have seen them.

The ditch is just full of them…could be I have missed them other years …but I doubt it.

We mowed the lawn again.  I am cleaning the house one room at a time…I only have the dining room, kitchen and upstairs left to do.  Slow and easy does it.  Tomorrow I will steam clean all the tile floors.

I am improving.  Far Guy remains about the same…if there is improvement it is minor.  He is getting discouraged… I remind him to be patient…

My Dad has been in the hospital all week.   He was finally released yesterday.  He had a kinked bowel.  Back in 1986 he had surgery for bladder cancer and they used a tiny part of his bowel…and that part has scar tissue that is causing problems from time to time.  He is on a cooked vegetable diet for the next month.  I finally felt well enough to visit him yesterday.  I was staying away because I didn’t want him to get what I had.

Flip Flops and other things

Did you know today is National Flip Flop Day?  Well it is.  I have never been able to wear flip flops the thingy that goes between your toes makes me queasy and faint every time I take a step….needless to say it ain’t a pretty site.  I wonder when they will have a Crocs day?

Speaking of Flip Flops when I was in the hospital I saw those Hillary Interviews…she is a piece of work.  Broke you say?  Her idea of broke and mine would vary by millions of dollars.   She is all about forgiveness…ya sure you betcha.  I woulda kicked Willy to the curb years ago…the lying cheating crook.  I  can’t see how in the world she is even thinking of running for President. If she were running against the devil himself I am not sure I could in good conscience vote for her.  Enough Politics…it just raises my blood pressure.

Obama visiting an Indian Reservation was a real joke…we have one nearby and he should visit there…without weeks of warnings and preparation and see what conditions are really like.  When he mentioned Obamacare was there for them I saw red…the Tribe takes care of all of their medical bills.  Not only that they can go to school and become Doctors and Lawyers…but few go.  They only worry about one day at a time…Do we have enough beer and drugs for today?   Meth use is rampant on and off the nearby reservation.  Tribal Police do their best…but no one spends much time in jail.  We need some hanging judges.

Yes I am feeling a tad cranky.  It just keeps on raining. I need me some sunshine!

On Geraniums

With all the rain we have been having the Wild Geraniums are showing off. 

Geranium maculatum a perennial native wildflower.

Many people confuse Geraniums.

Here is another true Geranium

This is a perennial geranium.  Geranium sanguineum ‘Alpenglow’

This is NOT a Geranium.  It is a Pelargonium.  Many people call them Geraniums, but if they were ever to order plants…they would order Pelargoniums.  We American’s have our terminology all messed up when it comes to Geraniums and Pelargoniums.

Most people don’t know the difference..they ask for Geraniums and the plant people give them Pelargoniums and they are happy.  Confusing for sure.

June 18 2014

Chance is happier.  I am feeling a bit better and took the undertaker off of speed dial.  Far Guy got a new antibiotic today.

 

June 17 2014

Went to the Doctor and a new antibiotic was prescribed.  I feel exhausted…sure hope this new medication works some magic.

Salvia blooming in the yard.

June 16 2014

Yesterday I got dressed and we ventured out to the Father’s Day Picnic at the firehall, the food was great!  Rhubarb pie..awesome!  It was the 37th annual fundraiser picnic.   I have to really watch what I eat at a picnic, so I had a whole wheat bun, roast pork, a dill pickle and a hotdish with potatoes and corn.

It rained most of the day but cleared off toward evening. We went outside for a short walk.  Between the two of us we got the lawn mowed late in the afternoon…it ain’t perfect but the grass was going to seed. The rain really made the grass grow.

I had only three naps yesterday…so that is an improvement.  I must be catching up.

Someone asked if I was concerned that I only remember bits and pieces of the past two weeks?  No, I had IV’s with all kinds of solutions and medications..potassium and other “crap” and I was sleep deprived.  The only sleep time I could count on in the hospital was from 11:30 PM to 2:30 AM.  Every other hour was filled with IV’s , IV Push meds, xrays, blood work, vital signs, nurse change of shifts etc…no rest for the weary there.  You just try and function on three hours of sleep a day…I bet you might forget a few things too. 

Yes we have a sauna, it is near the wildflower garden.   My Doctor thought it was a good idea to use it everyday for awhile.  I have made it out there everyday except for the day I was really weak and dizzy.

Lupine in the rain June 14 2014

June 15 2014

Still recuperating.  No big miracles, I still have a raw throat and my arthritis in my sternum and back is worse.  The Doctor calls it Costochrondritis, in the hospital they gave me injections.  I am trying to manage it with Ecotrin.

We had a big day yesterday, Far Guy and Chance went to the landfill and to recycle.  I made a pan of rhubarb tart cherry bran muffins.  Just a normal bran muffin recipe but I added tart cherries and rhubarb because I have lots in the freezer.  We went to sauna and sat watching the rain again, it rained most of the day.  Chance and I went for a walk in the rain.

I don’t remember much of what has gone on the past ten days…just bits and pieces.

Far Guy says he feels a bit better.  Chance is fine…we played ball in the rain.

The late Lilac in our yard is blooming.

Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads out there!

June 14 2014

We had a set back, we both got the FLU.  Extreme sore throats, temperatures and body aches like you wouldn’t believe on top of the crud we already had…it was rough. 

JoLynn from down the road brought us a wonderful hotdish full of vegetables, all I want to eat is vegetables and potatoes…potatoes anyway I can get them.

Last night I could finally sit upright without being dizzy.  Far Guy drug himself to the Doctor yesterday, the Doctor said “There is nothing else I can do for you, getting better will take time, you may catch every bug out there until your immune system recovers.”

Chance is patient, JoLynn played ball with him one afternoon.  Most of the time he lays quietly waiting for us to get better.

My Mom’s Iris last year 2013

 

June 12, 2014

Yesterday we made a huge kettle of vegetable soup, it will keep us in food for days.  Far Guy is an excellent sous chef.   We rested, watched movies, had many naps then we went to the sauna.  We sat for a long time just outside of the sauna watching it rain. 

Wild Columbine June 10 2014 in our yard