Resting

We made the trip back home safely and I am resting and then resting some more.

Far Guy will have an exciting morning going to his Infusion and then to  pick up the grocery order.

Far Side
 

Friday

 It was a busy day.  I mowed a bit and washed one window inside and out!  I have one small corner of the house cleaned real well now!  Progress is slow.  Then I had a nap.  

The Liatris is blooming in the wildgardens. 

Something lost was located yesterday...never give up!  

Far Guy worked on his woodcarving Christmas Ornaments.  

Minnesota weather:  High  75F or 24C  Low was 50F or 10C   It may have hailed a bit in the early morning I was not awake at 6 AM  East of us had lots of big hail. 

What's Cooking?  Ham, egg and cheese croissants and corn on the cob.

Far Side

Tuesday

 Tuesday is a no mail day....as in we hardly ever get mail on Tuesday.  

Far Guy is working on woodcarving Christmas Ornaments.  

I did three loads of laundry...sounds like a lot but one load was towels and another bath rugs.  I gave the bathroom a real good cleaning. 

Minnesota Weather:  A perfect day.  High was 68F or 20C  Low was 50F or 10C

What's Cooking?  Leftovers!

Far Side

Bee Balm

 The Bee Balm or Monarda is blooming. The Bumble Bees love it.

These plants are over in my baby brothers wild gardens.  I went to check them out one day and came across a bunch of baby turkeys and two adults.  As long as I don't come across the bear that is in the neighborhood...there are two of them. 

We only have one appointment this week!  Yeah us!  

I am not sure what I did all day on Monday...one load of laundry and some paperwork...hardly a days worth.

What's cooking?  Phillys on pretzel buns and corn on the cob.  We made enough so it was a cook once eat twice meal! Tuesday will be a no cooking day!

On Sunday we tried the Pizza Ranch in town.  We need a Sunday place to go when our favorite patio place closes for the season.  The pizza was good and so was the chicken after we stripped off all the coating:) Seems like it will work just fine for an alternate place. 

Minnesota weather:  High 83F or 28C    Low 55F or 13C 

Far Side

Purple Coneflowers

 We have a few Purple Coneflowers in bloom.  More than last year, but less than we would like. 

The drought has been hard on everything except my lawn mower.  Looks like Far Guy will have a few seeds to collect.

Far Side

Late Summer

 Fall is coming on strong.  The night time temperatures are in the 50's F  and leaves and acorns are falling out of the trees.    The Chokecherries left on the Chokecherry shrubs/small trees are starting to dry up.   It was a really good year for chokecherries and some locals are selling them for $4 a pound. 

The juicer came in handy this chokecherry season...I believe over 100 cups of juice was made that will make jelly or syrup.  I know my freezer has enough juice to keep me busy for a couple of days this Fall. 

The Ratibida pinnata or Mexican Hat is in bloom.  It self seeds itself every year. 

The tomato crop is still good.  Far Guy took some in to his favorite Infusion Nurses yesterday. 

We had a good visit with Far Guy's cousins yesterday;  Bonnie, Wayne, Jay and Janette. 

Far Side

August 18, 2011

The grain harvest is starting.  I could tell by my itchy eyes.  I could hear the combines.

I went to have a look see.  Yup, whatever small grain was in that field across from our drive was being harvested by the corporate farmer.

They were creating quite a dust storm .

No wonder my eyes were itching, no wonder I felt itchy all over and a tad cranky.  The grain dust..the dust on the road..and it all heads toward the house, even though we are hidden back here in the woods..that dust finds it’s way inside the house to languish on top of every surface. 

This is the crop along the front driveway.

My Purple Coneflowers and the White Coneflower the one called White Swan ( I think).  I planted this area about 12 years ago.   They did really well this year.   I even have a late blooming Monarda..that is a real pretty rose color.  Too much Poison Ivy to get much closer.  I hate Poison Ivy too..although I am all healed up..hopefully for the last time this year.

Someone asked the other day about Far Guys finger and how it was healing after he almost cut it off and then had corrective surgery to repair his botched self amputation.

So this is the finger report:   He has been through two rounds of physical therapy, he has movement, but he cannot touch that finger to his palm.  He can force it to touch, but it just won’t cooperate all by itself.  His surgeon says it is scar tissue causing the problem and he can surgically repair it..Far Guy said “No way.”  I think he should keep doing the deep massage and give it some time. I think that finger may also have some arthritis.. cause Far Guy isn’t getting any younger:)

Wildflowers: August 06, 2010

I am behind on Wildflowers, what with tree coffins and wood carving and sweet corn coming out my ears.  

Swamp Milkweed or Asclepias incarnata a native plant is in full bloom.  Milkweeds are the only host plant for the Monarch Butterflies.  In our area there are five different kind of Milkweed.  The Monarchs are few and far between around here even though the food is plentiful.

The Prairie Onion or Wild Onion or Allium stellatum is a native plant in the Lily family.  Pioneers probably used this plant in their cooking.

Yellow Water Lily also called a Bullhead Lily or Nuphar variegatum is a native plant.  It is the only yellow pond lily in Minnesota.  The flowers open only on a sunny day. 

Tansy or Tanacetum vulgare is a non native. It has little button like disk flowers, a very cheerful plant that grows quite nicely.  Far Guy has a personal war going on with this plant at the moment..he has been weeding it out of the wildflower gardens. 

 Butter and Eggs or Toadflax or  Linaria vulgaris is another non native plant.  It is quite invasive too, if it wasn't a favorite plant of the Hummingbird Moth..I would try to get rid of it.

Yellow Wood Sorrel or Oxalis stricta is a lovely little native plant with three heart shaped leaflets.  It has tiny bright flowers, and produces lots of seeds for the birds.

Field Sow Thistle or perennial Sow Thistle..of the genus Sonchus and questionable species can grow two to four feet tall.  It might be a noxious weed. I thought it was lovely, but than I enjoy most yellow flowers.

Stiff Goldenrod or Solidago rigida is a native plant and it is common in our area in the ditches and the open prairie. Goldenrods blooming always signal the coming of fall for me,  we already have cooler nights.

Well I am caught up with wildflowers for a day or two.  The mosquitoes have been just terrible, there was finally a decent hatch of  Dragon Flies...it is about time they showed up.  The miserable mosquitoes have been holding Chance and I hostage in the evenings, and on evenings when the wind is blowing hard enough to keep the skeeters at bay it is really difficult to get photographs that don't end up blurry:)

Wildflowers: May 18, 2010

After the recent rains, the wildflowers began to bloom.  Wildflowers are one of my passions.  My daughters would say obsessions. Far Guy would say "No wildflowers should be forgotten.. or husbands."  Chance doesn't care he just knows he gets to go for a rides, sometimes several times a day.

 Everyday is an adventure this time of year..once the wildflowers begin to bloom ..there are so many. How in the world will I find enough hours in the day to capture them all?  The graveyards that have not been mowed are wonderful places to look right now.  The carpets of color are absolutely smashing.  That and I like graveyards because they are so quiet and calm.

I am kinda stuck in a conundrum..you know a situation..a crossroads.  I am stuck between wanting to show you everything I see, the little things that you may miss if you are travelling down the road at 55 mph..and boring you to tears..well maybe not quite that bad..but you all know what I mean.

So today we will start this series, at the beginning where all good things should be started. A little peak into May Wildflowers in bloom in central Minnesota. These will all be plants found in the wild, in yards, in the ditch, and along the edges of fields.  They struggle along with what rain falls naturally, they compete with weeds for their survival..and people who mow them down. Everyday will not be flowers, but there will be lots of them!

 I love Phlox subulata, since it is one of the first things blooming..and because it is so beautiful.  There are three different colors that grow wild here, what I will call lavender, rosy lavender and white.  White is less common.  This plant is also call Moss Phlox or Creeping Phlox, the leaves are small and needle like, and most of the time prickly.  There are many varieties of this plant that are available commercially.  It is a good choice for erosion control because the roots that grow form a very dense mat, it also looks lovely planted along a pathway or in a rock garden. It is a great example of a hardy groundcover that also grows as a wildflower:)
** As always click on any of the photo to enlarge them!

August Wildflowers

I have been out taking photographs of Wildflowers, here is what is blooming lately..

Hedge bindweed or Convolvulus sepium, at first glace you think my what a beautiful bloom, then you may notice that it's foliage is hopelessly wound around something. This one was climbing up a compost pile.

Jewelweed or Impatiens capensis, this plant is also called the Spotted Touch Me Not. The ripe seedpods can explode when touched throwing seeds in all directions. We gave this plant a little haircut..and harvested some of the stalks for relatives that have Poison Ivy. The sap inside the stalk soothes the itching and helps to promote healing.

Hedge Nettle or Stachys palustris which is also called Common Woundwart, it is said to have been used to heal wounds.

Prairie Onion or Allium stellatum a true onion that is native to Minnesota. Tip your head to the side to view this one..blogger is being a pain in the neck again.

Butter-And-Eggs or Linaria vulgaris. This plant is a pain in the butt, I find it very invasive. It grows very happily in my wildflower gardens. The huge Sphinx moth the one that looks like a hummingbird really likes this plant. It may be the only redeeming quality of this plant.

The Asters are just coming into bloom..a sure sign that Fall will be here soon..maybe it is already. We have pretty much had a non summer. Now if that means we will have a non winter..I am all for that! :)