We are hopeful that we will get a few trick or treaters. It snowed here yesterday...enough to make everything white. We have great candy in individual bags! Our neighborhood kids are getting too old to trick or treat anymore. If no one shows up we will have enough candy for the entire Winter!
Sadie is hopeful that she will see some ghosts and goblins.
Photo taken by Jen.
Far Side
Yesterday Far Guy and I put up some No Trespassing signs and we went to recycle. AND just like that the day was over. Pretty soon the day will be over before we drag ourselves out of bed.
There was some snow in the air yesterday...if you look real hard you can see some of the glorious white stuff amongst the leaves. It probably wasn't enough to be called a second snow.
Ranger Blue needs a new battery...so that is a project for today. I hear it will cost just one arm and one leg or 69 skeins of my favorite yarn.
Far Side
I made Apple Crisp. I should have followed a recipe, maybe next time I will. I just dumped some butter, oatmeal, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and flour together for the crisp part. It was still good...but it could have been better. Apparently measuring is important!
The apples are from niece Katie's apple trees in North Dakota.
Far Guy and I visited my Mom in the Nursing Home and Beth in the hospital yesterday and then we went out for lupper. Mom is doing okay, her memory fails her sometimes, Beth is out of ICU and is feeling better but not good enough to come home yet.
Far Side
It snowed a bit but it mostly melted when it hit the ground.
I went over and visited Baxter.
He is a little lonely.
My sister in law, Beth has been in the hospital the past few days. She has been really sick. UTI and Ischemic Sepsis. No fun. She is a little improved but is still having pain. She got great care in the ICU as our niece Stacey was on duty. Hopefully each day will see some improvement and next week she will be able to come home.
Far Side
It rained on Thursday...no snow yet. We hear it snowed up North. Jen said it was "really slow rain that was white."
I did errands in town while Far Guy had his infusion. I had so many errands that I had to do a few after Far Guys appointment.
Beaver pond in the Smoky Hills.
It was a dreary cool day, I spent some time with Baxter and then had a nap.
Far Side
It is my other baby brothers birthday today. We will have root beer floats later today...his favorite.
Here he is on his first birthday in 1961.
My parents had that chair for a really long time. There is a photo of me in the chair in 1952 and when we cleared out Mom and Dads home in 2022 the same old chair was in the garage...threadbare but still rocking.
Happy Birthday Jody!
Far Side
I enjoy the warm days of Fall. We used to call it Indian Summer...but I heard that is frowned upon now...maybe it should be called a second summer...dry warm days to be enjoyed before Winter is upon us. The only thing bad about those days are the Asian Beetles...you know the little orange and black bugs that bite and stink when crushed.
Yesterday I went over to my baby brothers with Ranger Blue and he power washed it for me. When I got back home I dried it all down and cleaned up the inside. Far Guy and I went out and counted how many No Hunting signs we need to replace.
What do you call the dry warm days in the Fall?
Far Side
We raked a bit and blew all the leaves from the rocks on the East and West sides of the house and from under the back deck. Far Guy vacuumed out Ranger Blue.
I mulched the leaves that found their way into our yard ...again. Then I went next door and finished that property for the season. Far Guy hosed down my lawnmower, put "stuff" in the gas and put it away for next year. Yeah me...I made it through the year.
Toward evening we went for a Ranger Blue ride into the Smoky Hills. We saw no one...we saw the beaver swimming in his pond.
The road to the old fire tower.
The view from the road up there.
It was a nice day 60 F or 16 C eh!
Baxter and his folks visited toward evening. They had a bear at their house that took down bird feeders.
Far Side
Yesterday afternoon I mulched leaves at my other baby brothers home. It is most likely my last time there this Fall. Our weather is supposed to change in a few days. The S word has been mentioned a few times...and Red says that he is sending snow from Canada...neighborly of him!
You can see where I have mulched and the area I was working on.
A bit later my other baby brother brought me a bottle of water and she who sees robins first came out to visit a bit. It was warmer than yesterday.
They have a couple of golden colored trees in their upper yard. I mow and take care of my other baby brothers leaves at his home, his shop and another property. He in turn keeps our snow plowed in the driveway and our yard!
Far Guy put away half of our chairs and rolled the patio table away into the garage. We brought in things from the garage that would freeze the other day...car detailing stuff, Round Up, Poison Ivy Killer and Ant stuff.
I should bring a S shovel up to the front door...
Far Side
I mulched leaves in our yard again, they are mostly down. There are a few in the woods yet hopefully they will not blow into the yard. We need to work on a couple of bad areas where leaves collect if one day the weather is nice and we feel like a project...or not. We can always hope that they will blow away in the Winter wind!
The lawn was clear and then I blew the leaves off the patio:(
Our yard to the West...no leaves to fall in that area!!
I mulched over at my other baby brothers shop...his grass had grown again and was catching leaves...now maybe they will blow away. The wind was cold coming off the open fields as I did his driveway and the clouds looked like rain but it didn't come this way. I got cold and was ready to quit with that project. I still have another property to do and then go over to my baby brothers house...I am sure he has lots of leaves for me in his yard.
I put a roast in the oven so we had roast beef, potatoes, gravy, baked carrots and fresh bread for supper. The oven and the baking bread made the house warm and cozy and it smelled so good!
Far Side
We went for a trail ride with my baby brother and his bride yesterday.
After the rain and a frost last week the golden colors are very vibrant. We are pretty much past peak but the golden color was lovely.
Far Side
October's book was a great read. I give it a 9 out of 10.
I had not heard of a Courting Candle, Pack Horse Librarians or the Blue People of Kentucky. So for me it was a very interesting read. All of the gals in the book club gave it a thumbs up.
Far Side
A number of squirrels are back. The bums chase each other and the birds away.
His/her tail is just a nubbin. It will not grow back. Sometime squirrels are in a bad fight or they have been attacked by a predator and lose their tails. Their tails are useful for balance and for keeping them warm in the winter.
The Juncos are back as are the Blue Jays...all are hungry.
I had my eye appointment, he just wanted a second look at one eye. I walked around grocery shopping with my sunglasses on. I also got the RSV vaccination...so far so good.
Far Side
We see a few migratory birds in October...a few more Hawks than normal. On Saturday we saw a bevy of swans...they can be call a bevy, bank or herd. In flight they are called a flight or a wedge.
Sometime I just grab my camera and do not have the right lens...oh well the swans show up nicely anyway.
Yesterday I washed the dining room window...I could not stand looking out it anymore. Far Guy did some woodcarving. I did some laundry and had a nap.
Today I am seeing the eye Doctor yet again and getting the RSV vaccination. Fun times.
Far Side
Far Guy heard some noises one night...he said it sound like an animal scratching in the laundry room. We both looked around and didn't see anything out of the ordinary.
One day I heard a sound like a marble was in the dryer...I found a dime! Yeah me.
Night before last I got up in the middle of the night and read my book ...I heard a scratching and a noise of something dropping... in the area of the dryer.
I told Far Guy the next day...he investigated.
This is the dryer vent with the cover removed...seems someone was squirreling away acorns for the Winter. Apparently when the guys refinished the house they did not put the dryer vent cover on correctly and some critter could shove acorns in through a small gap in the bottom.
Far Guy came inside and took the entire dryer vent apart...guess what? Many more acorns...we vacuumed them up, reattached the venting and outside Far Guy covered the dryer vent cover with some heavy screen...because apparently this is a creature of habit and must be stopped from using the dryer vent as a storage area.
It is either a mouse, a chipmunk or a squirrel. My guess is a chipmunk.
It took us half the day to get it all cleaned up. Far Guy says the sound I heard was acorns dropping down the dryer vent when the area up top of the vent got too full... then the acorns ran down the dryer vent inside.
Mystery solved. Country living at its finest.
Far Side
I had a bunch of old photos to take to Mom for her to look at. We got them kinda sorted out.
If you were married 25 years "The Aunts" used to send out instructions for a cotton quilt square with embroidery on it that included your name. Then they would get together and sew the top together and have a quilting bee.
This was my parents quilt, Mom said they got it when they were married about 35 years...because they had lots of catching up to do when they started the project.
The "Quilting Bee" was held at my cousin Art and Kathy's home on the lake.
Mom still has her quilt, I packed it at her apartment and it went to storage.
You can see the squares were all different pastel colors of cotton material....each design unique.
Far Guy and I have two quilts...two double size quilts because by the time our anniversary rolled around I had many cousins participating!
It was a great family tradition. Many thanks to the Aunts that started the tradition!
Far Side
We had a gathering at my baby brothers lake home for our Mother's birthday. My sister and sister in law did most of the cooking, some of the cousins brought food to share. I made vegetable beef soup.
The women sewed and worked on crafts and the men talked. My baby brother and his wife have a perfect room to set up tables for sewing machines for everyone who wants to sew. They can sew and watch the birds out the windows.
It was a good gathering to celebrate Mom's 94th birthday on Friday and then again on Saturday.
Mom at her sewing machine. She still has a bad cough. She was sewing together quilts squares made from my Dad's shirts.
Here are some of the other projects the gals were working on.
Christmas ornaments out of buttons.
Another quilt.
Donation blanket for Gillette Children's Hospital....fleece blanket with crochet edge.
Potholders
I did not get a photo of one of the gals potholders or the gal who was working on a baby blanket.
It was a very nice gathering. My Mom enjoyed visiting with everyone.
I worked on some embroidery and helped a gal rediscover knitting.
Far Side
When my baby brother and I were little my Dad worked Road Construction and was only home on weekends. Our Mom got a job at the Osage Boat Works. Her clothing was spotted with white and green paint and pieces of fiberglass. My baby brother and I were too little to stay by ourselves so we went to "Arvilla Care" Arvilla was a much loved neighbor lady, we loved her and going to her house when our Mom went to work. Arvilla was a really good cook!
Boats loaded and ready to be sold ...photo taken about 1956.
Far Side
My Mom celebrates her 94th birthday today.
Happy Birthday Mom!
Far Side
A very old friend stopped by on Wednesday morning for a visit. We lived next door to each other in 1972. We had a good visit. She is a talker!
I cooked up the tomatoes that I had frozen. I had a hunk of roast beef cooking all morning, I peeled and chopped...rutabaga, carrots, cabbage and potatoes and put them in the fridge.
I had an eye appointment in town. I will see a specialist....I may have a secondary cataract. Old eyes.
After the appointment we did some grocery shopping and stopped by and saw my Mom. She has been ill with pneumonia and still has a really bad cough.
Back at home I put the tomatoes through a strainer that captures seeds and skins. I chopped up the roast beef and added all my vegetables...it is soup! I had some for supper...Far Guy passed, I gave him fair warning so he stopped by Subway in town for a chicken sandwich. He will eat soup once a year and yesterday was not the day.
Far Side
Yesterday I mulched leaves in the neighborhood. It is getting a tad cool to be out and about on the mower in my Summer mowing clothing. My other baby brother has more leaves left on his trees than we do. He has more of a variety of trees than we do....Birch, Popple and Red Oak.
I worked on Christmas Cards in the morning and did some household "stuff."
Far Side
Far Guy got the sheep water tank on top of some cement blocks ...all ready for next years tomato growing season.
I messed with the solar lights and got some new ones put out. We recycled and I put "some" of the yard decorations away...not all!
I spent most of the afternoon mulching leaves in our yard and over at another property we call Kates.
The leaves are almost completely out of the trees. In my estimation 80% of the leaves have fallen.
The Juncos are here I call them Snowbirds. We are headed for very cool weather especially at night with Freeze warnings. I brought in the rain gauges so they will not break when it freezes. Far Guy took care of all the water hoses....one project at a time to get ready for Winter.
I must get out my warm Winter boots.
Far Side
My Father gets to spend his first birthday in heaven today! I am certain he is thrilled to be with all his loved ones who died before him. He was 96 when he died last December on his Father's birthday. My Father was the remnant.
The headstone is not in place yet...but the spot is marked. Dad's final resting place is between his sister and one of his brothers. ( The spot where the fresh dirt has been placed) Nearby are his parents and his other sister and two brothers in law.
The Maple trees put on quite a show in the Fall. We hope that the grass seed that we planted has taken root in the rainy weather we have had in the last week.
It is a beautiful country cemetery, high on a hill.
My Father had a good long life which I am so thankful for.
Far Side
We had a great tomato crop this year. One plant...a Yellow Pear. It grew so tall that the wind knocked it over but she kept on producing the rest of the Summer and I didn't need a ladder to gather tomatoes. It looked kinda funny but the tomatoes tasted great. We ate some, gave away some and I froze a bunch that I will juice soon.
Yesterday we cut apart the plant and hauled it into the woods...the deer will find it...or mice. We dug all the soil out of our sheep watering tank and will put new soil in it next year. Next year the watering tank will sit on cement blocks instead of a wood stand that made it so tall. We both got tired but one day soon we will have the cement blocks in place and put the tank on its new stand. Far Guy says we are both getting old.
So our Fall clean up work has begun. It did not reach 50 F yesterday...our high was 49 F or 10 C.
This is our one plant before it tipped over in the wind.
The tomatoes are small and pear shaped.
Far Side
I had a appointment in town. Cross another yearly check up off the list! I made a quick trip through the grocery store and the bank.
This is a new mural in town that appeared last summer. It is at the end of the first block on Main Street on the West side.
Not sure what the story is behind it. It is a bit larger but there was a car parked in the way.
The Historical Museum is finally getting a new roof. It must have taken a miracle to get the County Commissioners to agree to that expenditure!
The high temperature yesterday was 49 F or 10 C and we have a frost advisory. A week ago it was in the 90's. Minnesota weather is sure fickle.
Far Side
Another Thursday is in the books. Far Guy had his infusion and I went grocery shopping. It rained and the wind blew more leaves around and out of the trees. At home we put away groceries and had a nap. I slept through some movie...I saw the beginning and the end.
Our weather has turned cool. We had temperatures in the 90's a few days ago and now we are in the 50's....what happened to the 70's or even the 60's??? Mother Nature is not fair. Our high yesterday was 52 F or 12 C eh! Some weather person mentioned the S word too...said it could S in the upper atmosphere but it would melt if it hit the ground...lovely.
Far Side
We are both feeling a tad bit better. It was a rough spell. We both took it easy again yesterday and should be right as rain in a few days.
I have been working on painting the Christmas ornaments....I am about 1/3 done. I am watching Call the Midwife while painting.
I watched Dancing with the Stars the other night...I wish those men would keep their shirts on every time one of them rips his shirt open to reveal a bald chest while dancing...I feel like barfing. AND if the Golden Bachelor spends anymore time at the tanning salon he is going to croak from skin cancer.
Far Side
Ever feel like you have been drug through a rat hole? Hit by a Mack truck? Like maybe it would just be easier to go lay down in front of the funeral home or your plot at the cemetery?
That is how Far Guy and I feel after the Covid booster that we got on Monday afternoon. We both started feeling rotten with a fever, aches and pains about 12 hours after the injection. I felt like I had been shot. I would have welcomed death with open arms. Needless to say neither of us slept much.
We had a quiet day at home yesterday with numerous naps. We hope by today we are feeling much better.
Two down and one more vaccination to go. (RSV) Far Guy had RSV one time....he was horribly ill so if a vaccination will prevent it that is a good thing...he was hospitalized for about four days in one hospital sent home and then hospitalized another four days in a different hospital....because I refused to take him back to the first hospital when they obviously didn't know what they were doing.
Far Side
Far Guy washed the house on August 14th. The warranty that came with the company that refinished our home stated that the house should be washed every year in July or August for the warranty to be in effect for ten years. It should be washed with a normal garden hose to remove all the pollen and dirt.
Far Guy took a photo with his phone.
House washing August 14 2023.
Yesterday was a very warm day 85 F or 29 C eh! Unseasonably warm for October.
Far Side
Last week two of my friends gave me gifts for my birthday.
My favorite licorice, a fall flag, a puzzle and some glass bluebirds from longtime friend Susie!
A bag, the cutest scissors holder and scissors and some yarn from Sam!
I have two very thoughtful friends! Thank you gals!
Far Side
