Baxter and Smudge

 Baxter and Smudge are back from their Winter in Oregon!  Yes they remembered me. 

I got to give them treats and play ball with Smudge while petting Baxter.

After they took a potty break I took them in for a drink of water. 

Smudge wanted to play ball for a long long time. 

Throw the ball already!  She is a good ball player and drops it very near .

I think I tired her out. 

It was a fun break in my morning. 

Far Guy and I met a fellow in Osage as I sold some more "stuff".

Back at home I gave the bathroom a really good cleaning.   I can scrub the floor again on my hands and knees or sliding along on my butt!  

What's cooking? Toward evening we made pork chops, fried potatoes and corn for supper.

Minnesota weather: High 63F or 17C  Low was 37F or 3C and we had a red flag warning all day...windy and low humidity makes for dangerous fire conditions. 

Far Side

Book Club 2026: May

 The read for May was There's Something about Mira by Sonali Dev

I give it a 4 on my scale of 1 to 10.  The plot was easy to figure out...I wrote the ending in my head half way through the book.  Not impressed.  Most everyone at bookclub was not impressed.

Thursday is Infusion Day so I ran errands to Wally World, Aldi, another grocery store, the Meat Market and the bank all within an hour.   Yeah me! 

Late in the afternoon we went to the visitation for a 94 year old neighbor who died.  Maurice was a very kind man, we served on the Fire Department with him and when we were building our home he did all the cement work for us.  He was a perfectionist when it came to cement!  94 years is an accomplishment!

Minnesota weather: High 55F or 13C  Low was 33F or 1C.   The wind was chilly. 

What's cooking?  Ham, turkey and cheese on a pretzel bun with peaches and raspberries:)

Far SIde

Tilly on Main Street

 We ran all kind of errands in town...Post Office, recycling etc...then we picked up Tilly and went to lupper.

He has his blinker on here as he was leaving the parking spot.

Not many tourists here yet so we could park in the center of Main Street.  Yes Park Rapids is one of the few towns where you can park in the center of the street or diagonal.  The Main Street is extra wide because when they laid out the town they wanted enough room for horses pulling a sled of lumber to turn around in the street. 

A number of buildings on Main Street are empty.  There is no longer a dime store or a fabric/quilting/yarn store.

Gasoline was $4.04 in town. (Tilly uses lots of gas)

Anyways.  Tilly endured a few snowflakes in the air....I think Far Guy was about ready to catch them all. Tilly is home and safely in her garage.  Goodness knows what he would have done if it started to rain!!

Minnesota Weather:  High 42F or 6C  Low was 27F or -3C. Cloudy all day. 

Far Side

A decision

 I finally made a decision about my next crochet project!! 

I have always admired the blankets that use lots of colors of yarn...starting in the round and morphing into a square.   So...I found a free pattern.   It is called Bernat Study of Reality

Here are my mostly final colors nestled in my work basket. 

I call it a bucket of color.   That light pink in the far left has not been used yet....but I think it will make the cut.

Here is what I have so far.  If it all works out I can see me making more blankets of this pattern.  I am using Stylecraft DK yarn and a 3.5mm crochet hook. The pattern calls for different yarn and a different hook size...I must be a rebel crocheter.

So far the written pattern has one mistake but I figured it out.   There are also You Tube instructions. 

I like doing the different stitches...it keeps my brain engaged. 

We took Tilly to town for an oil change and a gasket replacement...Far Guy is getting nervous as it is late in the afternoon(Tuesday) and they have not called him to pick her up yet!  If they don't call pretty soon I will have to cook something for supper....we wanted to go out for a late lunch/early supper...lupper:)

We had a good visit with my cousin Chuckie, he was 86 a few week ago.   The visit was on my list of things that I wanted to do!

Minnesota weather:  There was snow in the air Tuesday morning. (It was not in my imagination either as cousin Chuckie saw it too) High was 39F or 4C  Low was 28 or -2C.  Seems we are in a cold spell.

Far Side

Dryer screen

 Who knew? Or remembered?  We were having a problem with our cloths dryer...the clothing was so hot I could barely touch it to fold clothing even during the cool down cycle.  Ouch!!  Something was a muck.

Far Guy tore apart the front panel to locate a temperature sensor...then we called the appliance shop in town and talked to Bert because he might have the part we needed.   It is a stacked Maytag and we have had it a really long time...over twenty years. 

Bert said "The soaps and fabric softners today that are used sometimes build up on the dryer screen, clean the screen with soap and water and it may fix your problem."

Low and behold it did the trick.  It had been a year maybe two since I last washed the lint screen.  I know I have heard this little fix before but did not recall it.

We are especially vigilant and never leave the house when the dryer is on.  Years ago I saw a house fire that was caused by a dryer and our oldest daughter lost her first home to a dryer fire when Savannah was a baby. 

Smoky Hills were really smoky one day last week. No fires just humidity.

Supper was Far Guy's amazing dip and tacos.

Minnesota weather: High 49F or 9C  low 27F or -3C.   It was supposed to rain...but it did not.

Far Side

Golden

 Some days are more Golden than others.

Isn't she a beauty?  We love her lots!  It was good to see her last week on Thursday night and Friday.  She was so excited she went between Far Guy and I for attention....yes she might be a tad spoiled...but we helped spoil her when she was a pup. 

Then back at home what popped up...well the Dandys of course.  I didn't think it was warm enough for them yet. 

On our travels Up North last week we saw a bear near Zerkle.  I was not fast enough with my camera to get a photo. 

Minnesota Weather: High 67F  or 19C  Low was 43F or 6C...it is supposed to turn cold and rain on Monday. 

Far Side

More May Day!

 Saturday I had an errand to run in town so I took the town kids their May Baskets...they were not home but luckily I had a bag to put the baskets in and I tied them to the railing by the front door.   I am sure they got me on their security camera!

Then I was off further South.

These two were home, their Mom was running an errand. 

I asked if they knew what yesterday was?   Of course they said "May Day!"  I asked  if they thought I had forgotten them?  They said "No we thought you were maybe too busy but we thought you would show up sooner or later!"  I asked how many May Baskets did you get?  They said "None...we only get them from you. "  Vivian shared that she liked the Fox May Day Basket the best from a few years ago:)

Fun stuff these May Baskets!

Far Side

May Day!

 We were traveling on May Day...we managed to get a few May Baskets to the neighbors and to a little guy for his first May Day.   More baskets will be delivered on May 2nd....not quite as special but better than a kick in the butt.

We did May Day one day early with our "Greats" 

Baby K finally has some teeth and instead of Candy she got soft baby treats. 

Hope you all had a wonderful May Day!

Far Side

May Baskets

 The May Baskets are pretty much set for delivery...they may be one day late for most folks..it all depends how I feel.  

They are supposed to be Hedgehogs...but might look more like Porcupines.

This pattern is the last of the Sack It creatures...I will have to start over again next year or find a new design.  I have seven different animals over the years...dog, pig, sheep, owl, fox, raccoon and hedgehog. 

May Day 1954 that was my dog Frosty in the background...he was a gift from my Maternal Grandparents.  They always saw that I had a dog when I was little. 

Far Side

Raiding the stash

 I raided my "stash" upstairs for the beginnings of a new crochet project.  

Not sure if this will be the final pick or not.   The dark burgundy in front may not make the cut.  Far Guy rolls all my yarn into balls for me...because I do not like yarn surprises like factory knots or thin spots. 

I am going back to a pattern that I used years ago...individual fancy granny squares....maybe... we shall see how it all works out. 

Quiet day on Wednesday.  Not much accomplished except a really long nap. 

Supper was eggs:)

Minnesota weather: High 45F  or 7C  Low was 29F or -2C.

Far Side

Old

 Feeling a bit  a lot old this Spring.  Some good news is that all my biopsies at the dermatologist came back benign.  Nothing to worry about there! 

We had a quiet day...I had lots of RA pain so the couch and a hot rice bag were my best friends. The pain exhausts me so when I get comfortable I go to sleep.

Far Guy began a project.  He is taking all the old grout off from around the bathtub and redoing it...it is quite the project. 

Supper was Chicken Enchiladas and peaches...both from the freezer.

Minnesota weather:  High 46F or 8C  Low was 28F or -2C.

Far Side

Remember this?

 

Well it is now a ugly looking blanket...back in the day I would have called it fugly ucking :)

Lots of small balls of yarn used up.  This was a project I started and only worked on in the afternoons while we watch Grey's Anatomy.  We are in Season six now and I will need to figure out another project.  

I have a couple of ideas for the next project.  Might be time to revisit one of my previous projects:) 

We had a quiet day, it rained just about an inch according to the neighbors. 

Minnesota weather: High 41F or 5C  Low was 29F or -2C.  Rainy and the grass is turning green.

Far Side

Sunday

 Quiet day, we worked outside a bit...raked some and worked on another project on the patio.  My other baby brother and she who see robins first stopped by to visit.  Happy Birthday today to she who sees robins first!

Late in the afternoon I sold some "stuff" and we had to go to Osage to meet up with the gal.  The "stuff" was weaving bobbins that came with my spinning wheel a long time ago and have nothing to do with spinning or so I was told by an expert!

I took a photo on the way back.

We had some sunshine in the morning.  

We dropped off some books and bookmarks for the Little Library...it still had some books that I dropped off last Fall.  Maybe the Summer readers are not here yet! 

Minnesota weather:  High 57F or 14C  Low was 42F or 6C.  It is supposed to rain all day on Monday...we will see if that happens. 

What's cooking?  Leftovers warmed in the microwave:)

Far Side

Dreary Day

 It was a dreary day here in Minnesota. 

Not much happening.  I finished the May Baskets and they are partially filled.  I did some laundry and hemmed a pair of pants that were too long for me.  No machine involved...I can sew by hand faster than dragging the old Sears sewing machine out. 

Far Guy was busy all day...walking, making ice with the ice machine and cooking supper...Impossible Italian Sausage Pie. 

Minnesota weather: Dreary.  High 50F or 10C  Low was 34F or 0C.

Far Side

Friday

 We rescued Tilly from the repair shop.  The gaskets she needs have been ordered.  She needed to come home and go into the garage just incase it rains.  She will go back to have the repairs and an oil change soon.

Far Guy replaced my lawn mower battery and fixed a flat tire so I could mow. I dug out my lawn mowing stuff...special long sleeved shirt, red rubber boots, hat, safety glasses and special carrier for my phone.  I mowed the wild gardens east of the house...we like to mow it to give the wildflowers a bit of a chance!  The grass is turning green after the rain we had earlier this week.

We made pizza for supper. 

Minnesota weather:  High 55F or 13C  low was 35F or 2C.

Far Side

Stash

 I made a small baby blanket...perhaps just right for a car seat in the Summertime.  

It is the linen stitch using a 3.5 crochet hook.  The yarn Stylecraft Special DK  and I have no idea what the colors are anymore.   I have a bunch of yarn yet to use up. 

Far Guy and I took Tilly to town for his Infusion and a blood draw for me.  Our Buick has been in the body shop getting a small dent fixed.  Tilly is now in the repair shop for a diagnosis about her transmission fluid leak.  We are glad to have the Buick back...although Ranger Blue is great transportation! 

Minnesota weather: High 77F or 25C  Low was 32F or 0C.   It rained early on Thursday morning.  Thundered enough to wake me up...which is really saying something as I am a sound sleeper!

Whats cooking: Freezer food...Vegetable Soup for me and Jambalaya for Far Guy.  One night we had Moons over my Hammy.  

Far Side

A memory

 Remember when you were handed an ice cold glass of lemonade and the glass was so cold it almost hurt your hand? 

On a really warm day I would hold the glass up to my forehead and then to both sides of my face. 

These aluminum tumblers made by Color Craft in Indiana were very popular in the 1950's.  

Our neighbor Lorraine had a set and it was special drinking lemonade or Kool-aid out of them. I always liked the red glass the best!

I am sorting through some "stuff" and putting "stuff" on marketplace.  

Far Side

A Graduate

 Cee Cee graduated from Kindergarten and will be a First Grader when school starts in the Fall.

Here she is with her Mom! Those smiles are great! Way to go Cee Cee!

Far Side

June is gone in April

June is gone! 

 She left behind a rock and some dirt. 

There is a hint of green in the grass now....or maybe it is my imagination. 

Seems I have a speeding ticket in North Dakota and my license will be suspended unless I contact the appropriate authorities in the Philippines.  Who knew??  They are quite insistent with their text messages.

Why is it that everything you read on and off the internet/phone has to be suspicious of a rip off??

Minnesota weather:  High 64F or 18C  Low was 33F or 1C.

Far Side

Big Ball

 of yarn.  I had a whole bunch of little balls of yarn...so I made one big ole ball of yarn. 

I started with brown and ended with brown.   I am using a 3.5 hook and am doing the linen stitch.  Easily done while watching tv.   It will make a blanket...not sure how big but it is what it is. 

We had a quiet day on Sunday.  My other baby brother and she who sees robins first came over to visit. 

I napped in the afternoon.  

Supper was left over pork ribs, corn and a baked potato. 

Minnesota weather: High 40F or 4C  Low was 24F or -4C.   We are in a fire watch.

Far Side

Fire Weather Watch in effect from Monday, 10:00 AM CDT until Monday, 8:00 PM CDT. Source: U.S. National Weather Service

Affected area

Becker

Description

...FIRE WEATHER WATCH IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH MONDAY EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR NORTHWEST MINNESOTA... The National Weather Service in Grand Forks has issued a Fire Weather Watch for wind and low relative humidity, which is in effect from Monday morning through Monday evening. * AFFECTED AREA...In Minnesota, West Polk, Norman, Clay, Kittson, Roseau, Lake Of The Woods, West Marshall, East Marshall, North Beltrami, Pennington, Red Lake, East Polk, North Clearwater, South Beltrami, Mahnomen, South Clearwater, Hubbard, West Becker, East Becker, Wilkin, West Otter Tail, East Otter Tail, Wadena and Grant. * WINDS...Southwest 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 20 percent. * IMPACTS...Any fires that ignite will spread rapidly and become difficult to control. Outdoor burning is not recommended.

May Baskets

 It is about time to make May Baskets. 

I have the basket part made...working on the decorations....they will be an animal. 

They can be as simple as a cup filled with candy...or flowers...whatever you like to surprise someone. 

It is a tradition that I have been able to participate in for over 70 years. 

My first May baskets May 2 1953.  Photo of me and my Mom at the farm where I grew up.

We made it to Duluth and back again to visit with our daughter for her 54th birthday.  It was a good day. 

Far Side

54

 Our oldest daughter Trica is 54 years old today.  We hope to meet her for lunch. 

In 1973 we celebrated her first birthday in Colorado.  We were there while Far Guy went to Tech School at Lowery AFB.  We enjoyed our time in Colorado.

Happy Birthday Trica...we love you lots! 

Far Side

28 and a robin

 We had a couple of Robins in our yard on Wednesday.  Far Guy was calling for them.  I saw them but did not have my camera. 

Yesterday I saw them and my camera was handy. 

One on the left and one hiding in the shadows.

On our way to town the willows are showing their first yellow hue. 

I picked up the grocery order from Wally World and then went to the other grocery store in town for things that were not available while Far Guy had his weekly infusion. 

Supper: Ham, turkey and cheese on flat bread..our version of a sub:)

Minnesota weather:  The car said it was 74F on our way home.  High 79F or 26C  Low was 32F or 0C.

Happy 28th Birthday to our Granddaughter Maddie!  Love you lots!

Maddie in Costa Rica...photo by Jen! 

Far Side

A finish

 I finally finished the afghan that has been in the works for a just about a year. I started it in June of 2025. 

The back is just about as pretty as the front.  The pattern is Apache Tears and I used a 3.5 hook and all different colors of yarn.   It is good to have it done. 

We had a quiet day on Wednesday.  Far Guy worked in his garage.  I did some laundry and all kind of misc things...not much that shows.  I picked up some sticks in the yard and soaked up some sunshine while reading a book.

We had leftovers for supper. No cooking just warming up!

Minnesota weather: High 67F or 19C  Low was 40F or 4C. 

Far Side

Dermatology

 We had Dermatology appointments.  Last year Far Guy's Breast Cancer diagnosis came about through a Dermatology appointment....for what he thought was a cyst. Anyways they are important appointments.

Far Guy got an all clear...see you in six months. 

I had two biopsies one on my leg and one on my arm...the one on my arm looks nasty.  We will wait for the biopsy report and go from there. 

The best part...going to Kentucky Fried Chicken for the Tuesday special.  So supper was easy peasy:)

Some Minnesota scenery. 

Minnesota weather: High 52F or 11C  Low was 35F or 2C 

Far Side

A sign

 There is a sign of Spring out there.

Can you see them?

How about now?  The Pussy willows!

Far Guy and I went out for a ride on Ranger Blue looking for Spring.  Other than deer in our yard, a couple  ducks down at the river and a chippy feeding on a deer carcass...the Pussy willows were our big find for the evening ride. 

We made pizza for supper.  Far Guy putzed the day away.  I did some laundry and worked on the parts for May Baskets. 

Minnesota weather: High 53F or 12C  Low was 39F or 4C.  

Far Side

Going

It rained, it was warm...we had snow fog all morning on Sunday...the snow melts so fast it makes it foggy.  We did not get to the forecasted 70F.

June is going...going...but not gone yet.

 Not a speck of green anywhere.

Sunday afternoon we had lunch at my other baby brothers and she who sees robins first...hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad and all the fixings.  It was really yummy!   We missed seeing one of their daughters ( she was working) and two grandsons in  North Dakota...everyone else was there.  Fun to see them all again after a long Winter...the little kids are getting taller! 

Minnesota weather: High 64 F or 18C  Low was 40F or 4C. 

Far Side

Stash

 I finished one blanket using up part of my "stash."

It is a shell stitch.  I  was not thrilled with the one blue/grey bunch of yarn but it is what it is. 

Yesterday was a busy day.  Far Guy tackled all kinds of small projects while I did some laundry and got rid of a bunch of over the hill stuff in the fridge!

We made pork chops and rice for supper with peaches. 

Friday night we went out with my other baby brother and she who sees robins first for supper at a local place...the food was good.  

Saturday was the Frozen Four Championship.  So we watched hockey in the afternoon. 

Minnesota weather:  High 46F or 8C  Low was 40F or 4C.  It rained a little.  It is supposed to be 70F on Sunday...we will see if that happens.  I think we still have too much snow cover for that to happen!

Far Side

The Snowbank named June

I think that June may be gone in April this year.  We are supposed to get really warm weather this weekend. 

Always fun to see June disappear! 

Something missing was not found so we did the best we could and had a new key made.  It took three different visits to two different places of business to accomplish it....but now we can cross it off of our list and I can say with certainty that the missing keys will show up now. 

Far Guy has been out to visit his old car Tilly in the garage and the next door neighbor/great niece Anna stopped by with Remmy. (Remmy is a pup that was rescued from a ditch nearby last Fall...someone threw her out the window) She grew over the Winter! 

What's cooking: My other baby brother brought us over a couple of jars of venison soup that was really good so we didn't have to cook our first night back.   Yesterday we made Chicken Enchiladas before watching the big Hockey game...we lost so it was not a fun game to watch. 

Minnesota Weather:  Sunny.  The breeze coming off the snow is chilly.  High 46F or 8C  Low was 30F or -1C eh!

Far Side
 

27

 Our youngest Granddaughter Paige was 27 this week!   Happy Birthday Paige!

I looked at photos from 10 years ago when she was 17. 

She was going to prom!  Chance loved all of the girls and was happy to pose with them! 

Here is a photo I took of beautiful Miss Paige last December!

We love you lots Miss Paige!

Far Side

Safely home

We are back at home in the woods.  We are mostly unpacked and catching up on naps! 

There is a fair amount of snow here. 

Yesterday we picked up a grocery order from Walmart and went out for a late lunch in town. 

The house is just fine...we had to call the Security alarm company because of a low battery...Ken came and replaced it within a few hours of my call...no charge as the battery was replaced 2 years ago and it should last 3 or 4 years.

Jen followed us home on Tuesday to help us unload the vehicles and help us put some stuff away and got our computers hooked up again!  We miss her already!  

Minnesota weather:  High 42F or 6C  Low was 27F or -3C eh!  Beautiful blue sky is back! 

Our grand Paige had a birthday yesterday!  Happy Birthday Paige!

Far Side

Book Club 2026: April

 We read a Stephen King book called Revival.  

I give the book a 7 out of 10.   Usually he writes better and has you wondering and on the edge of your seat...not his time.  I guess I expected more.

Most of the gals felt the same way...a little disappointed.

Far Side

Puzzling

 It was time to put the puzzles away.  These are the last two that I finished.

Both were fun puzzles.

Far Side