First Robin 2018

Finally the first Robin visited our yard and I got a photo!

Far Guy was out feeding the birds and came in to tell me to come quick…so I grabbed the camera and the Robin was still in our yard.

First Robins In Our Yard:

April 19 2008, April 11 2009, April 5 2010, April 4 2011, March 23 2012, April 27 2013, April 9 2014,  April 24  2015, April 21 2016, April 5 2017 and April 29 2018.

We miss the pair that used to build nests on the ladder and then on the ledges on the east side of Far Guys garage.  We hope that some other pair will take up residence some year.

Soon the migrating birds will be coming through…grape jelly and oranges are on the grocery list.  (Oriole and Scarlet Tanager food)

Saw a Butterbutt  (Yellow Rumped Warbler) this week, no photo yet, a Mourning Dove visited and a Bald Eagle has been soaring through the yard…looking for rabbits no doubt…that have gone missing. So much for my bird report!

 

Saturday

We had a busy day.

Waited in line for 2 hours to get Chance his vaccinations…he is good for another year.  He will be 14 this Fall.

He is doing his best to contribute to June’s shrinkage. He likes having a snowbank to crunch snow from. Another day or two and June should be history...will she make it to May?  Only time will tell.

I had a long nap.  I still have pain…it is exhausting.  Far Guy did a whole bunch of stuff in the yard…he has lots of energy for an old guy.  He is still cooking…I had ice cream for lunch.

VEX Robotics: Adam

Our youngest Grandson Adam is at the Vex Robotics World Championships this week.  He and his team members boarded a bus on Monday night and many hours later he arrived in Louisville, Kentucky.

 

Adam is the tall one in the baby blue shirt with the cool shades.  I took photos of my computer.

Here he is again in between the fellows in the white hats.

We watched two of the matches via computer, it was fun to see him.  His Father is there because he is a Judge and his Mother arrived last night surprising them both.

For a small Minnesota town going to a World Competition is something to be very proud of!!

Way to go Arctic Knights and Adam!  We watched two of the Qualification Matches…they won one and lost one.  Today is the last day of the competition.

Making May Baskets

I was ahead of the game, back in March I visited Jen at a Craft Retreat and I used one of her dies that makes a basket.

The die is sandwiched between the paper and a piece or two of plastic and then run through a die cut machine.

I cut out lots of different colors.

At home I folded them and glued them together.  Most are lined with a coordinating color….which also makes the basket sturdy.

They are all set to be filled.  I bought some wrapped chocolate eggs and some other candy at the after Easter sale.  I will put a bit of pretty grass in the baskets or a bit of tissue paper and fill them with candy and on May 1st Far Guy and I will deliver a few.

Here is a link to more of my May Baskets over the years.

I challenge all of my readers to make one May Basket and give it to someone on May Day. It doesn’t have to be fancy…just do it!

Recouperating

I am taking it easy.  I had the Oral Surgery on Tuesday.  It was rough even with the Nitrous Oxide and numerous shots of novocain…I had many pockets of infection…the Doctor said no wonder you were sick...   Yuck. 

Far Guy is taking real good care of me. He made the mistake of asking me what I would like to eat since I can only eat soft foods for a bit.  I said “Chicken and Noodles and Lemon Pudding.”  Both were accomplished, he can now make homemade noodles from scratch.  He was quite proud of his meringue too.

We walked outside for a bit yesterday.  Far Guy says “Where in the world did you get those pants?  Have you worn them before?  You are not going to wear them out in public are you?”  I have several pairs of colorful warm leggings that I wear in the winter…usually under a long nightgown.  I didn’t feel like wearing real clothes yesterday so I wore the leggings an old shirt and my raggedy old sweater that has holes in the elbows…comfort clothing.

Chance and I went out again after supper….we walked around in the yard and then sat for awhile.  It was crocs with socks weather.

June report…she is melting.

I am so glad the surgery is over. For the most part I am watching the Food Network and sleeping, using ice packs for the swelling and taking my antibiotics.  I still have a fair amount of pain but I hope everyday gets a bit better.

Wistful Wednesday: Baking with Grandma

This is a old photo from June 1983

Trica went with her Grandparents to Indiana that summer to visit Jan, Ron and Bethany.

Trica would have been 11 years old that summer, Bethany (Far Guy’s sister’s daughter) would have been about 3 years old and Grandma (Far Guy’s Mom) would have been 69 years old.  It looks like they were going to bake a cake.  The photo was taken at the house in Clarksville Indiana.

Spring has sprung

Far Guy put away his winter boots…mine are still out.  He carried out the patio table and commenced to woodcarving outside. 

We were down at the lake over the weekend.

The pussy willows are out.

We wonder if the ice will be off the lake for opening fishing.  Time will tell.

Yesterday the last of the snow left the farmers fields.  Soon we can watch for the first of the wildflowers…Marsh Marigolds.

Snowstick Contest Winners 2018

We finally have a couple of winners!  diane in northern wisc guessed April 18 and The Wykeham Observer guessed April 29. Congratulations!! diane please email captainconnie2001atyahoodotcom  your address and I will get a carving in the mail this week. The Wykeham Observer your carving is going to the Post Office today.

 

The snowstick became free of snow and ice last night April 22.

June may be gone soon if the warm weather stays to melt her.

I picked up sticks in the yard and raked a bunch of acorns they were making for a bumpy walk in parts of the yard.  I am always thankful in the spring for the hours I spend in the yard in the fall.

Trail Cam in April

We finally caught a deer on our Trail Cam!  It visited in the early morning….probably was at the bird feeders.  During April the Trail Cam photographed the UPS driver many times along with the mail man.  Odda came to visit four different days. Various other company was observed coming and going…lots of photos of Chance too.

Deer are a real nuisance this time of year, they are hungry and will have their young in a month…they are coming to the road ditches to graze night and day…and many end up as road kill.  I had a close call the other day luckily I wasn’t driving too fast and was able to give the deer a brake.

Melting

We had some significant melting yesterday. 

After we recycled we went by the Millpond.

It still looks wintery there.

The snowstick made some real progress yesterday.  I think it is at about 3 inches.

We will most likely have a winner in a few days if the melt keeps up.  It felt good to sit outside, but the breeze off the snow is still a bit chilly.

We cleaned up some bird seed and some doggie do…Far Guy got out the patio table which needs a good cleaning and the birds are looking for water in the birdbath…both are on my list of things to do today.

176th Day of Snow

It warmed up and we are melting!! 

Spring may be here after all.

There is still seven inches of snow at the snow stick but it is melting around the trees.

It was a busy day yesterday, it was Infusion Day and we had a small problem but we were able to solve it…and the Drug Company has been notified ( a sterile water bottle would not transfer to the mixing bottle).  We went one direction for prescriptions and another direction for Doctor’s appointments…a quick supper at a favorite place and then I took off to Bingo with my Dad …neither of us got to shout Bingo.  Such is life in the elderly fast lane.

If it isn’t one thing

it is another.  After a certain age your body falls apart.  

I knew I had an abscess…but I was not prepared to be told that I have two abscesses and will require extensive oral surgery.  YUCK.

It has been a week of appointments…I am waiting not so patiently for them to call with my appointment for surgery.  I finished a course of antibiotics but still have a big area of infection…if it gets worse I am supposed to call for a new prescription.  It was quite painful…keep you awake painful but for now it has settled down.

Far Guy said a Dairy Queen would make it all better and would also be lunch.

We went to our favorite sundae eating spot in town.

We park here to watch the bike riders or the runners…their trail is covered with snow now.  Sometimes we see ducks here…not so much that day. (There is a river out there.)

The road home still shows our snow, little by little it is melting.

I managed to spring clean the downstairs bathroom….feels good to have one more room done.  My bum hand is tired now and needs a day maybe two of rest. 

I watched a movie called August Rush  I give it four out of five stars.  I was awake for most of it.

Wistful Wednesday: Birthdays

This is birthday week at our oldest daughter’s house.

She is 46 today.  Hardly seems possible that we have a child approaching 50 years old.

This was Trica when she was about 14 years old, it was the year of the orange hair.

It was Paige’s birthday last week …she was 19 that hardly seems possible either.

I decided to see if I could find a photo of  Miss Paige when she was 14.

I found one!  Happy Birthday Miss Paige!!  I have no recent photos of her…maybe soon.  We talk to her on the phone but have not seen her since November.

It was Maddies’s birthday yesterday.  She turned 20.

I found a photo of her when she was 14 also. Most of the photos I take of her have Mikey in them now…I will take a photo of her soon.

Happy Birthday girls!

173rd Day of Winter

Spring doesn’t magically appear.

The wind still blows and picks up its icy coldness from the snow.  It still snows. The lakes are still frozen and there is talk that there will still be ice on the lakes for Fishing Opener in May.  Someone said there is 28 –38 inches of ice on the lakes…that takes time and warmth to melt…more warmth than we have had.

My half way decent pair of snowboots (Uggs bought about 7 years ago) have a hole on the right side of the right foot…guess they are not half way decent anymore…Far Guy said throw them away…well duh…I will when winter is over. He said “Your not going to wear them to town are you?”  I did and no one even noticed. (town has no old snowboot police)  I have a brand new pair of winter boots bought on sale before winter  but to get them out now when we have mud would not be a good way to break those in even if they are brown.  My other pair of worn out boots (because I patched a hole with a leather patch)…have yak traks on them.  I have a perfect pair of red muck boots to wear but they are so cold…I shiver just thinking of it.  It isn’t even dry enough or warm enough for crocs with socks.

I want to put my full length parka away but I use it some mornings when Chance wants me to go outside with him.  I want to put away my Grinch stocking cap but people at Bingo might not recognize me without it.  I want to put away the snow shovel and the ice chisel. I just want winter to be over with.

Yes it snowed again on Sunday night not much but it is still snow.

Snowy Sunday

It snowed.  The “big” storm missed us and we got about an inch of new snow.

After the snow there were new tracks up on June. A squirrel.

We finally perfected the research and development of this years Christmas Ornament. One is completely done…all the kinks are worked out…and we both like it.  It involves a bit of painting.  We won’t begin to carve in earnest until the weather improves and we can carve outside in the afternoon. On days when it is too hot on the patio I will work on painting inside.

Being too hot might be a stretch of my imagination.  My Dad has predicted that it will be a cool summer.

Grey Day

It was a grey day yesterday, almost like it wanted to snow.

I did odds and ends all day long until it was time for my Netflix fix so I watched Benji.  I give it 5 out of 5 stars…my kind of movie.

Chance and I walked outside after supper, it was cold enough that the ground is frozen and not muddy.  Of course it was a no snow melting day.

Gaillardia seed heads

Here is another view of June.

I have many cousins and they have children…on Friday one of those children died from Breast Cancer that spread….Tammy was 49 years old.  It seems to me that the older generation should die before the younger generation. The only comfort there is in this situation…she was a woman of great faith in our Lord and Savior and heaven is now her home.

Spring Cleaning Update

Yeah me!!  The kitchen is all done…well except for the window, too cold to wash a window now.

No more dusting off dishes before you use them.

I am not sure which spring cleaning direction I will go next…laundry room or bathroom.  I may take a few days off…we have busy days coming up next week.

We still have enough snow, here is a view of some pretty “stuff” on the windowsill in the kitchen.  I have a hard time passing up paperweights and the pretty pink bird is one of my favorites and perfect for spring. The stained glass Lady Slipper was purchased at a garage sale.

11 inches of snow is at the snowstick.  The trees are starting to become little islands of no snow.  Spring progress is slow.