Treat Lady and Baxter

 Last Summer Baxter gained a bit of weight...of course it was all my fault...I am the Treat Lady.  ( No one else could possibly give him any treats) Baxter loves stopping at our house for a treat.  He hated it when we were gone last Winter.  No treats and a strict diet.  What to do...what to do.  Sadie will do anything for a Cheerio...well turns out Baxter likes them too...dispensed one at a time.  I put some on the upstairs steps.

Guess who?  I picked him up for a bit yesterday...he has a bit of separation anxiety.  I folded some laundry at home while he waited.  Then we sat outside for a bit learning a new trick...circle. 

Then his eyes got sadder and sadder...it was time to return him to his home....before he decides to go home all by himself...he knows the way. 

He makes a fine co pilot and even better if he can stick his head out the window.  "Get a move on Treat Lady"

I took a few photos outside and followed Mr Wiggle Butt! That would have been a good name for him. 

"Whatcha waitin for?  Slow poke Treat Lady!"

We had a fine time together.

Far Side

Sprinkles of Sunshine

 Imagine small sprinkles of sunshine all over your lawn. 

With the rains came green grass and abundant sunshine for the bees:)

I am going to be like Thumper "If ya can't say something nice don't say nothing at all."

Far Side

Double Flowering Plum

 The Double Flowering Plum is in bloom, the blooms are sparse most likely from last years drought.

Perhaps this shrub needs a total cut back or rejuvenation. 

It rained on the blooms. 

I am spending most of my time on the couch; shivering, waves of nausea, headache, tremors, in pain and very dizzy, Far Guy keeps one eye on me.   Withdrawal from some medications (Cymbalta) is not easy. I did a six week taper...and still have horrid symptoms.  Poor Far Guy had to take over cooking   cook if he wanted to eat. 

One day on the new Blood Pressure medication was all I could take...I will wait a few more days to try that again. 

Far Side

Construction

 Construction is happening in Osage.  

Far Guy took this photo near the Dam.   It was a mess on Thursday, but the wait was not long to get through. 

Yesterday Far Guy worked on his old Car Tilly, I did some laundry and cleaned out one of the grates in the walkway that catches dirt.  One more to go.   After doing one I had a nap.  We made supper together.   I am not feeling terrific....lightheaded and I hurt all over.  

One day at a time. 

Far Side

Changes

 I am REAL. tired. of changes in medications.  My last Arthritis medication by injection was just. not. working.   It has taken two months to get the new highly expensive drug ($18,000) for two months...good thing we have good insurance so our copay is $76.00  How ever do people without great insurance pay for these kinds of meds?  What does it have in it anyways...gold?  Anyways it is in the fridge, in the meantime my Primary Care Dr is trying without success to manage my pain and my blood pressure.  Uffda.  I am coming off of the medication for pain...the shits is that it was working...except for the side effects.  The withdrawl is horrid....night sweats...tremors etc.  He may attempt a different med in a month. IF all the side effects are gone.  In the meantime I have yet one more BP med to add to the two I already take and a new arthritis injection.  

One thing at a time...the most important at the moment is my Blood Pressure so I will begin that new med now and give it a number of days before I do the Arthritis Injection. Just in case I have a reaction.

My blood pressure is up because of the pain...and the Dr says Naproxen and Aleve are fighting my Blood Pressure meds...so only take Tylenol.  Alrighty then....I will give it a try. 

It sucks to have medication problems. 

We got some rain on Wednesday...the car was almost rinsed off.  Yesterday was Far Guy's Infusion and errands in town...road construction has started in Osage.   We will be staying home the next few days hopefully.  

I see lots of naps in my future. 

Jen's Bleeding Hearts were blooming nicely.   And yes the dogs were happy to see us! 

Far Side

Getting old

 Yesterday we traveled to Grand Forks ND  to see my Doctor for yet another medication change.   I was tired or forgetful after 5 hours in the car and no blog was written to publish. 

We are both fine just old and forgetful.

Far Side

Thornapple

 We have this bush in our side yard just on the edge of the woods.  Far Guy uses the twigs for stems of his wood carved flowers. 

If you ever walked in the woods you would know it if you brushed up against this bush. 

It is about ready to flower.  Note the thorn? 

It is also called Hawthorn or Maythorn ....but we call it Thornapple. 

Here you can see lots of those thorns. They stick out every which way. 

Far Side

Smoke and other stuff

 It was very smoky on Sunday.  I took a few photos on our way to have late lunch/early supper with my brothers and their wives on Mother's Day.   The meal was good, I had my first margarita of the summer, half strength...I am a light weight. 

Excuse the bugs on the windshield.  The smoke cleared out late Monday morning and we ran a few errands in town....something for the old car Tilly and bird food...the birds are very hungry this Spring...especially the  Rose Breasted Grosbeaks!  The Hummingbirds are busy at their feeder too! 

The road construction has not started yet!  Maybe we will get one more week before they show up.

The Chokecherries are really putting on the blooms, we will have a bumper crop of berries if it doesn't freeze.  Hope the bees are active enough to pollinate the flowers! 

I mowed at my other baby brothers shop yesterday and our front yard, I am leaving our side yards that are full of Dandys for the bees.  I mowed for  about ninety minutes. ..that was enough for the day. 

Far Guy is busy working on Tilly...something about valves and gaskets...he is feeling pretty good at the moment.  Getting a bit stronger everyday. 

Far Side

 

Spring has sprung

 The Marsh Marigolds are blooming.  

Tractors are in the fields. 

Far Guy saw two rabbits in the yard yesterday so maybe we will have lots of little bunnies running around before long! 

The Pin Cherries are in bloom...all signs of Spring here in Minnesota. 

We are also getting wild fire smoke from the neighbors up North. 

Far Side

Mother's Day

 I wonder how Mother's Day in heaven is?  

We  think of our Mother's on this day if they are alive or in heaven. 

Far Guy and his Mom, looks like she is making cookies.  I think perhaps he tested his Mother's mothering skills from time to time.  He looks to be about 8 years old in this photo. 

My Mother and I in March of 1952. I was 6 months old. I know I tested my Mother's mothering skills.  I was a stubborn, independent child who was a challenge for her. 

I wish all the Moms out there a Happy Mothers Day...even the dog and cat Moms! 

Far Side

Andy and Jen, Little Elvis, Sadie

 Far Guy had Doctors appointments Up North so we left right after his Infusion on Thursday and came back late Friday afternoon.   He is doing okay.

Guess who else was happy to see us?

Little Elvis had a sleep over with us in our room.  He had a small problem last week, he caught a toe nail on something and it bled something fierce...and he traveled throughout the house ...no doubt looking for help...poor boy.  Jen asked me if I wanted to take him home...I would like to but I don't think he would be happy here.  He doesn't hear anything, hand signals work the best with him...and I am not sure how much he can see.  

AND then there is the retriever...

She was so happy to finally get my shoe.  Her tail was wagging ninety miles an hour.  She enjoys being a shoe thief!

She wasn't the least bit remorseful.  However she did give up my shoe...eventually...but would not retrieve the other one.   Sadie is quite the dog, Thursday evening she went from person to person for attention.  Her own personal round table of attention.  She has been shutting herself in the bathroom...she goes in there to drink out of the toilet bowl...yes dogs do that!  I am sure her big old tail hits the door and the door partially closes behind her...she isn't brave enough to nose the door open...so we worked on that a bit...with me standing outside the door saying "Sadie nose" and offering a treat through the open part of the door...she nosed it open multiple times.  Will she remember...not sure.  When she shuts herself in the bathroom she doesn't bark or whine she just waits patiently until someone rescues her.  Thats Sadie for you!

Did you know our son in law Andy is a marvelous cook? ...well he is...he made bacon cheeseburgers on the grill,  potato rounds in the air fryer and a caprese salad.  I miss his cooking and I miss the days off from cooking when he cooks! 

Jen is a good cook also...but she does not enjoy cooking like Andy does.  She is a marvelous baker! So they make a good team.

It was good to see everyone...we also got to see Adam,  Maddie and Andy's Mom!

Far Side

Lilac

 The Lilac buds are expanding.  This is a Donald Wyman late blooming lilac

Far Guy saw a Oriole, the grape jelly feeder is out and waiting for them.  I saw a Hummingbird, so I quickly made the sugar water for their feeder.  Not much is blooming here in the boonies.  The Pin Cherries are about to bloom and sunny spots have a few dandys. 

 Far Side

Forsythia

 The Forsythia in town are all blooming. 

This one is wasted in a parking lot...

I did a mega shopping yesterday, stocked up on many things we use all the time.  Tourists will be here soon...or maybe they heard about the road construction that will begin May 13.  The road construction is between us and town, the detours will add five or six miles to our trip to town.  So we will have to leave earlier than normal.  Plus it is not supposed to be done until November.  Uffda

The new Aldi store is open now, it is located in a terrible spot for traffic.  After shopping you have to turn right instead of left because of the traffic...and then you need to go down the road a piece turn around and go back into town.  Only those high or crazy would attempt a left turn there.  

Far Guy is doing okay...he is pretty much pain free! The scan he had only showed one stone...so he should be good for now!

Far Side

Stove and Stone

 First of all Far Guy felt a throbbing and some extra pain yesterday...did he or didn't he pass that stone?  I heard no screaming, I always felt like I was dying when the stone passed.  So we have no idea if it is history or not.  He feels much better.  The stone might be happy in his bladder ...until it is not.  Time will tell. 

Our new stove is all hooked up and I was able to conjure up a fairly decent meal of seared salmon and green beans.  I am so happy to put the stove saga behind me.  I can tell you one thing this stovetop gets way hotter than my last one...I will have to watch things closely not to burn them! 

It is a pretty stove.  Big sigh of relief that it all worked out! 

I had the money earmarked for a vacation...that didn't happen...so instead of a vacation I got a new stove. 

When Jen and I were making Spring Break vacation plans, nothing was going right, the cruise we wanted was full and the Mexican Resort we finally chose did not take American Express, flights were difficult to coordinate with our days away...one thing after another...we finally said guess we are not going...good thing too as Far Guy was really sick and was in the hospital during the time frame we were to be gone.  Sometimes you just have to go with the flow when plans are not working out. 

Far Side

Oak Buds and More

 The Oaks are budding out...the ones high in the trees show up nicely against the sky. 

Here are some buds close up.

Awesome start on their way to the leaves that make our yard cooler in the summer. 

Far Guy's Doctor wanted him to be seen in the ER yesterday, we spent the afternoon there, he had a CAT scan and it was revealed that he has a 3 mm stone about to dump into his bladder....from there he should be able to pass it on out.  It all takes time and lots of water. He got some pain meds that seem to take the edge off the pain.   One day at a time. 

Yesterday the stove guy came and looked over our new stove situation, he had to order some special venting so maybe if the part comes and all goes well we can cook on the new stove tonight!!

Real exciting things happening at our place!

Far Side

Kidney stones oh my

 Far Guy  is having a bout with kidney stones...his first experience.   I told him it is worse than labor pains.  We will head to the clinic today...to see if they can figure out if it is small enough to pass. 

I drink lemonade most all of the time to help dissolve my stones should I have any...I am a stone maker, as are our daughters.  

I keep telling Far Guy he will live...

We had beautiful weather yesterday, the evening was perfect 66 degrees and a slight breeze.   I sat outside for awhile...heard the Loons calling down on the lake. 

I put out a whirly gig.

I got all my new solar lights out ready to replace the non working ones. 

Far Side

3 out of 7 isn't bad

 Out of the last seven days we have been at the clinic's, ER and hospital four days.  One day we did a clinic and the hospital, one day we did a clinic and the ER for blood work because his heart rate was high and his blood pressure was really low and he was dizzy, one day was Infusion and an Echo, one day was in the hospital. So three days we got to be at home...Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday were the free days.  It could have been worse.  ( His Echo was good!) His hospital Doctor stopped by the ER  to tell him that good news. 

Next week I know he has appointments for two days...so we will see what happens next...always an adventure. 

I am mostly done with the big sort upstairs.  Big sigh of relief...I have some organizing to do up there and some putting away, dusting and cleaning.  I have "stuff" for my siblings to pick up.  Progress has been slow but the rainy days helped...not much to do outside yet. 

My new stove is still not hooked up...I need an HVAC guy to hook up the downdraft fan...the duct work will be different from my last Jenn-air.  We have not used the stove, it still sits where the delivery people set it... JUST in case the stove has to be returned.  I have called the HVAC guy twice....the last time I left a message saying if you cannot come let me know.  We are making do with the crock pot, air fryer and the microwave.  Last night we went to town for supper...it was prom night so lots of good looking kids eating in the same place. 

A photo of the clouds one day coming home from town. 

I took photos of two lost dogs, one of the dogs was listed on facebook as missing...apparently they are runners.  One was quite fierce, the other friendly with one blue eye and one brown eye.  Someone isn't taking very good care of their dogs...just saying. 

Far Side

Book Club: May

We read and discussed Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan. 

I enjoyed the bee keeping aspect of the novel, the rest of it was just okay, I give it a six out of ten stars. 

Although the book is not about Mad Honey itself.  I was curious about it. 

 A plant by the name of Rhododendron ponticum grows in Nepal and Turkey. The bees gather the nectar from the Rhododendron flowers, the flowers contain a neurotoxin called grayanotoxin that is transferred to the hive and the honey. The honey can be toxic or hallucinogenic depending on the amount ingested. It was most likely the first biological weapon, the Persians left it behind for the Roman army waited a bit and then slaughtered them because they were too sick to fight back. 

Who knew?  You can legally purchase it in the United States...I saw it for sale on Amazon.  

Far Side

All about May Day

 I have been celebrating May Day for about 71 years.  

It is very simple, you make a small basket out of rolled up paper or a paper cup, decorate it how ever you wish, make a handle, tuck candy or flowers inside the basket.  Take them to a neighbor or friends home, hang them on the door or set them by the door, knock on the door and say Happy May Day!  Then run away so they cannot catch you and kiss you! 

My Mother used to help us make May Baskets and then we would get in the car and drive to all the neighbors delivering baskets.  The baskets were held in muffin tins or cake pans for easy transport...it was us kids job to hold the tins and pans steady while she drove.  We would deliver the May Baskets and run back to the car. 

A neighbor by the name of Jim Mack told me that when he was a little boy...in the 1930's after evening chores his Mom Mary had treats ready (usually cookies) to put in baskets that they made.  He would walk down to Far Guy's Grandparents farm, trying to be sneaky and leave the basket unnoticed.  He said  Far Guy's Grandmother Meade would come out of the house her apron flying running after him.  He told me he would never forget that image of her running after him! 

It is a great way to celebrate Spring!  Far Guy says" No matter how many times he tripped and fell down running away from a girls house...they never caught him with a kiss." 

Me and my May Baskets in 1954, that was my dog Frosty in the background.  Yes we can still have snow here in Minnesota in May.

Happy Kids that we delivered May Baskets to yesterday...one day late but the kids still smiled! 

These are my niece Stacey's children. 

This is Lola's second May Day...looks like it made her smile too! 

So that is May Day in a nutshell.  I know not many people celebrate May Day anymore...but I do!  Such a simple way to make a few people smile:)

Far Side

May basket delivery

 Last night we went for a Ranger Blue ride to deliver May Baskets to neighbors.  We have some to deliver to in town children today.  It was a nice evening for a ride. 

Only one May Basket had to be hung on a bag from the door. 

Opie and Teeter barked at us ...the horses paid no attention. 

Fun to see that our area is greening up after the rains. 

Hope you all had a fun May Day! 

Far Side

May Baskets 2024

 I finished the May Baskets last night most will get delivered today and a few tomorrow. 

Most everyone guessed correctly!  Sheep!

They turned out pretty cute! 

 I got Far Guy out of the hospital in the afternoon and we got home just in time for the delivery of our new stove.  The delivery people do not connect anything.  The HVAC guy will be here today to see if he can make the connections for the vent work...if not I will call the store and have them come for an undelivery. 

Far Guy is doing so so...he felt great in the hospital...coming home he is up and about a bit more so he doesn't feel so great.  The goal is to keep a fluid level without shortness of breath and swelling feet. Sounds simple enough but it is a fine balancing act.  He lost six pounds overnight in the hospital. 

One day at a time.  Hopefully we will get the stove situation taken care of and then perhaps we can be quiet and calm for a couple of weeks. 

Far Side