Driving

 We began the week thinking about the wood carved Christmas Ornaments.   Far Guy does the bulk of the carving and I help out with the final sanding and painting.  I had several ideas on how to paint them.  

Three of my sisters Grands will return to Japan in about two weeks...so their ornaments were our priority on Monday.  They just need hangers to be complete.  Yeah us!  Four down and many to go!

Look what nephew Jacob and my sister found at the dump...it was cleaned up and the boys were having a blast. They even hauled hay to my sisters horse.  They have had a fun Summer here in Minnesota.  When they return to Japan school will have begun.

Far Guy asked me out on a date...but alas Tilly didn't feel like going...so we stayed home.  He reminded me that it was better than being in the ditch...a long time ago in the Winter he was supposed to pick me up for a date...he went in the ditch twice because of icy roads....each time he called me and said he would be late.  We never went on that date either. 

Minnesota weather:  High 79F or 26C  Low was 58F or 14C almost a perfect day!

What's Cooking?   Buttermilk pancakes, sausages and peaches. 

Far Side

Sunday

 Sunday was a quiet day... I needed it!  I did some laundry and put a few things away.  Far Guy did some woodcarving.  

We went out for lupper and got a car wash.   Far Guy picked tomatoes.  Then we watched Grey's Anatomy we are on season 13.

The deer are leaving my petunias alone enough for them to bloom a bit! 

Minnesota Weather:  High 77F or 25C     Low 52F or 11C

Far Side

Tomato Report

 Our one little Yellow Pear Tomato plant likes the sheep tank and being next to the garage. 

Even the parts that fell over in the wind are doing okay.  I will need a ladder to pick tomatoes before long.

Right now we get about two sometimes three ripe tomatoes per day.

We had a quiet day...we did a few errands in town and then went to our usual Sunday Lupper Patio spot because this Sunday that little town will be full of people...so we did Sunday on Friday and will try out a different place on Sunday.  That is a win win for cooking!

Minnesota Weather:  We got about 1/3 of an inch of rain...enough to perk up the brown lawn.  High 78F or 26C   Low 57F or 14C

Far Side

Rudbeckia

 The Rudbeckia was doing really good until the heat spell.  We need a little rain soon ...the grass is turning brown.

We had a quiet day on Sunday.  Far Guy did some woodcarving until it was time for our Sunday afternoon date on the patio of our favorite place to eat.   I did some laundry and worked on another of my card projects and then some stuff that no one notices.

We came home and watched Grey's Anatomy...we are on season 12. We watch it most afternoons...sometime I nap through it and Far Guy has to give me an update. 

Minnesota Weather: High 86F or 30C  Low was 67F or 19C.

Far Side

Clematis Virginiana

 Clematis virginiana or Virgin's Bower started off as a tiny sprig planted in about 1999 a gift from Faye.

It is doing quite well this year.  some of it climbs up and some of it just spreads along the ground seeking a spot to climb.

It has a sweet smell that permeates our yard. 

We were finally able to continue our Sunday afternoon date out on the patio at our favorite place to eat.  It was quite warm out on the patio about 95F  ( according to our car) but we were in the shade and there was a nice breeze.   We have not had a date in three weeks.  I am thankful that Far Guy felt good enough to go out....there was no one else out on the patio everyone else opted for the AC inside.

Far Guy is getting a bit stronger everyday.

 

Minnesota weather: High 90F or 32C   Low 70F or 21C  We are still under an extreme heat advisory. 

Far Side

Sunday

 We went out for lupper date.   Lunch and supper all rolled into one.  We drove over to our favorite Mexican place and dined out on the patio...it was a tad chilly but we survived.  Our high on Sunday was 65 F or 17 C and a bit breezy. 

We listened to church in the morning...there is a new associate Pastor.  His sermon was about faith. 

I have faith that God will forgive me for fast forwarding through the songs to concentrate on the sermon!

Far Guy is a trooper he listens to the whole Church service. 

White Coneflower. 

Far Side

Date Night

 Far Guy missed taking Tilly to the car show so we went on a date night instead.  The wildfire smoke is mostly cleared out...some still remains. 

Can you guess where we went?  Hint: they have car hops. 

After supper we  had a nice visit with Far Guy's cousins at their lake place. 

Far Side

** If you guessed A & W you are correct.

Cruise

 Nope not that kind of cruise.  A cruise around town in the new old car (Tilly).   Far Guy joined the local Car Club.  

After the cruise we met at A & W, it was a nice evening and there are a bunch of picnic tables there. 

We met another couple, he acquired his car a Mustang a few months ago.  He was also a new member.  I visited with his wife.  

Town people are sometimes stand offish...stuck up...most are not the kind that will walk up and introduce themselves....so you have to be outgoing enough to break the ice.  (They will ask everyone else around who are those people...but not walk up and ask for themselves.) 

Far Guy wanted a photo of Tilly and the Park Theater on Main.   We hope to get a better photo sometime ...this one will have to do for now....as you can see there were many tourists in town. 

I would like to get just the car and the theater!  We may have to go into town later at night just when the theater is closing. 

It was a fun evening out, it probably counts as a date night even though I bought supper because I was in town early getting an oil change on the Buick.  Far Guy met me in town and after all the doings we dropped off his Desoto named Tilly to get new brakes. 

Yesterday we cleaned out the garage that Tilly resides in because she rarely leaves her garage. 

Far Side

Hanging out

Yesterday we hung out at the garage sale all day.  We had some customers even though it was a warm day.  Today we have shortened the hours as it is supposed to get real warm and we need our naps. 

We had a picker come by and buy a bunch of stuff.  I don't care if they resell "stuff."  Better at their place than ours. 

For supper I steamed those Crawfish...yum...but I have forgotten how much work they are to eat.  They had good flavor.  Not as good as in the Gulf Coast...but still good.  So much for our foodie adventure!

Towards dark we went to town stopped by DQ and then drove over to the  Church parking lot...the fairgrounds is right across the highway.  We ate our ice cream and watched the rides. 

This one gave you a two minute ride and one time over the top...sometimes two times...the two times was probably screaming girls...and they wanted to hear them scream again. 

It was a good date night! 

Far Side

Detail and a Date Night

 Far Guy had an appointment to get his new/old car detailed. 

It took the better part of a day! 

After we picked it up we went out for early supper. 

It has been a number of years since we have been to the A & W... used to be a carhop and a tray hanging on your window...now it is a push the button and order what you want and they bring it out in a bag.  Oh well the fries were excellent and the cheese curds awesome!  No drink holder in the old car...that was something we noticed right away...I set my drink on the floor and Far Guy juggled his in one hand. 

Next stop the gas station...only a few places in town have the "right" gas.  It seems the old girl got 13.6 mpg but that may be an error. 

It was a nice outing and we were back home by six pm. 

Far Side

First Shot for Far Guy

 Far Guy got the vaccination yesterday.  He called the local VA where he usually goes in Minnesota...they had no idea when and if they would get vaccinations....so he called the VA in Fargo North Dakota and got an appointment. 

So we made the trip over.  The roads were a little icy in spots. They got a little snow overnight.

Elm Street in Fargo...when you drive down this street in the summer time it is like driving through a leafy tunnel. 

I stayed in the car...walked around it several times and stretched and had a nap.  He was out in about 40 minutes.  He reports that they could use better signage about where to go...but the Security Guards were helpful...too many people in the elevator for his liking... other than that they tried to keep Veterans about eight feet apart.  He said it was a small needle and didn't hurt...his arm is a little stiff hours later. 

I packed an EPI in his backpack...just in case we needed it. 

He got the Moderna Vaccine and has an appointment to go back for his second dose. 

No news on a vaccine for me yet, they think it will be soon... at the Clinic in town and we will be notified by phone or email.  So we wait. Being 25% done is a start.

On the way home we stopped by Burger King...they were only doing take out...which was fine with us...there was a wait...but we had lunch for lunch and supper. So we called it a date day! 

Far Side

Hot Date

Yesterday I mowed in the morning and did some weed control.  It was very warm 80 something and humid.  It got hotter as the day wore on 88 F or 31 C eh. So we decided we could have a hot date.

The special order was ready at the local  helpful hardware place that did not wear masks to deliver at curbside service...they sent out two different people both without masks to double your exposure fun...the second time I said "You all should wear masks"  The dumbass replied "We will"

We waited inline at DQ...and enjoyed watching the tourists try to maneuver the complicated parking lot where the drive through goes right through the parking lot traffic lane. (It is a terrible design)  We enjoyed watching the people...my husband has quite a sense of humor....sometimes a bit warped but a sense of humor none the less.

We took our ice cream to our favorite ice cream eating spot....Far Guy said "Our usual place?"  "Of course" Ice Cream was lunch.

We had a front row seat at this sculpture in GPP.  Far Guy said it was just wire and rocks.  I told him I thought it was suppose to be an ant colony...who really knows for sure?  It is not named.

I wonder how it is supposed to become an artsy fartsy destination if they cannot even name their sculptures.

Anyways we had a good date...a trip to town in the AC and ice cream...hey a hot day could be worse.
Far Side

Date Night

We had our usual once a year date night at the County Fair.
We had French Fries at the 4 -H booth and a Pork Burger at the pork producers stand, we walked through the exhibit buildings and onto the Midway.

It was a very warm day.  We sat and rested a few times.

Far Guy has been struggling in the heat and the humidity.  We bought a dehumidifier and since then he can breathe a bit easier inside the house.

We should have a definite spot on the Transplant List this week, they had to submit everything to our Insurance Company...they may want some additional tests.  He has been discussed at the transplant group and received the all clear for either a right or left lung.  The Medical/Insurance World is all about hurry up and wait. When they call for many phone numbers we will know he is on the list.

I took many notes while on the phone with the Transplant Coordinator....we have a book and we write everything down.

We have to go back to the Cities soon for a consult with an Endocrinologist and he needs to have a scan done of his esophagus.  Hopefully they can schedule them the same day.

Far Side

Murder Mystery Dinner

We attended a Murder Mystery Dinner.  Three actors/actresses made up the troupe from the cities.
Far Guy felt good enough to attend….we had purchased the tickets a long time ago.

Many people that attended wore 1930’s style clothing…we didn’t get that memo but probably wouldn’t have dressed up anyway…but some people were all decked out!

Other than the three main actors they picked people out of the audience to play the parts of suspects, they also gave them folders with scripts.   Far Guy played Mr Greenspan…a wealthy banker.  At one point someone came and got him to give him special instructions….he whispered to me “Don’t get excited with my antics.”

We were given bribe money and suggested questions to ask suspects with name tags throughout the room.   We also had pencil and paper to record motive and opportunity and crime scene photos.

Four course dinner…some kind of fancy salad with a very vinegary dressing, Cream of Tomato Bisque Soup (it was a little chunky for me) I ate the mostly liquid part and then got up to ask a suspect a question and when I came back my soup had been finished…I blamed Far Guy but he said nope he didn’t touch my soup.  The Third Course was a pasta dish with some kind of cream sauce…you could have steak, shrimp or philly cheese to accompany it.  Far Guy said he got three shrimp…I had steak and had to hunt for it.  Dessert was various cakes…I had chocolate with a cherry sauce…it was really good.

There was much comic relief as the plot unfolded.  Far Guy as Mr Greenspan was poisoned at one point…he slumped backwards in the chair…the Doctor came over and touched his nose and pronounced him cold and dead.  They carted him off wearing his glasses and hat and he returned the same old Far Guy.

We as a group…two other friends went with us…deduced that the murderer was a woman…lipstick and a wine glass at the crime scene…so we guessed the most likely suspect would be the Doctor…which was wrong.  But it was fun anyways…Far Guy got an award for “The Best Death Scene”
It was a fun evening.

Date Night: Chickens at the Fair

It is Fair time again which means a date night for Pork Burgers at the Fair…they were excellent this year…not too much sage.

French Fries were $1 at the 4 –H booth…so that was supper.

It was a very warm 88 F or 31 C eh with lots of humidity.  We walked through some of the exhibits.

Our Great Nieces exhibited their brown egg laying chickens.  We get eggs from them and they are the best eggs ever.

Far Guy liked this chicken.  I think it was the hair do that made us both smile.

As we were leaving the Chicken Barn a boy and his chicken were sharing French Fries.

You could tell that the boy and his chicken were bonded.

Friday Happenings

We had a get together and a potluck picnic with friends at Menahga before the concert.  I made potato salad and they all said they hoped I would bring that very dish. ( I might be a pretty good potato salad maker!)  Good food and good company. We got together to look and think back about one of our friends who died last winter…we are all wood carvers.  Norm died last winter and his daughter brought about six boxes of carving “stuff” to the library one day…so we all met to look it over.  I got a few interesting almost finished carvings that I will finish and donate to a fund raiser…Norm would have liked that.

After supper we headed over to the concert on the lake.  No rain this week, but the music pretty much sucked.  People were on their phones, one lady was even knitting…Far Guy and I boogied out at intermission.  The band was supposed to play 60’s music…one song was…the rest were heavy on badly played guitar solos… “original hits” that no one had heard before.

Unknown concert goers

We had to feed Chance and take him for his walk anyways.   He started a new medication that the Vet said may help his right rear lameness/nerve problem.   The good news is that he is in fine heath otherwise his hips are great and his heart and lungs are good and strong, he could stand to lose a few pounds,  the other bad news was if he was a person he would need bifocals and he has a hemorrhoid. (getting older is a pain in the butt some days)

Friday Night Concert

We were tired after the trip to Fargo on Friday but we drug our tired bodies and a couple of chairs to the edges of Spirit Lake in Menahga Minnesota for the Sounds of Spirit Lake Concert.

I heard the entertainer was really good.  My other baby brother called and said “If you can go you will love Mylo’s show.”

We got to the lake early and set up our lawn chairs in the front row.  The breeze was coming off the lake, so it was the safest spot for us to sit.  No one sat in front of us with heavy perfume or aftershave or bug spray!

Mylo S.Hatzenbuler is a Rock n Roll Farmboy.  He sang; To all the cows I’ve milked before, Return to Slender, Hens with low faces, Send in the cows…just to name a few of his biggest hits.

He rocked these red shoes!

He is a NorDakota farm boy, he was 15 when he heard that Elvis died and he told one of his teachers “The world needs me.”

Ya  Nobody’s Perfect Ya

There was even a costume change just like the big rock n roll stars. (Hat and glasses were tucked into his Wall Drug bag)

I really enjoyed the rock and roll farm songs.   It was great fun and everyone was laughing.

He even picked on Far Guy…he asked him where he was from when he replied”Osage” Mylo sang Osage can you see.  He asked how long we have been married Far Guy said 47 years, Mylo said “Better hang onto her, she could do better.”

After the intermission Clyde came out and sang.  He is a very talented Tenor.  He sang one Folk Song and a bunch of Hymns.   It was okay just not as good as rock n roll.

Yes, this is Clyde he is also Mylo.

The Sounds of Spirit Lake will have a few more concerts throughout the summer.  We like going there.  The event is sponsored by local Menhaga businesses and they pass the orange buckets for donations.  The church serves ice cream cones and popcorn.

Park Rapids also has free concerts they are on Thurday nights on 2nd and Main Street but they promote a Beer Garden along with their concerts. (We have no need to go someplace where there is lots of drinking going on and then driving.) Bagley has free concerts on Sunday afternoons.  There is also music at several area resorts.

Mylo is famous throughout NorDakota, SouDakota, Neebraska and even into Mountana. He gets around.  Ya!

Fair Date

My pupils have finally returned to normal after my eye appointment! So we could have our yearly fair date. We go into town to the Shell Prairie Fair, see the midway and walk around in the barns and exhibit buildings.  We always look forward to the outing.  Especially the local Pork Producers Eat Stand that has the best pork burgers!  We found some french fries in one stand but should have walked further and saved $4. No cheese curds this year they were only available on the midway….and there was a line of people there so we bypassed those calories.

I bet this ride is real pretty at night.

It is one of those screaming pee your pants kinda rides.

Our weather was cool yesterday with a high of about 60F or 15C eh!

This particular carnival splits their show in half to play two smaller county fairs at the same time. There was about 5 kid rides, a Scrambler, a train, a super slide and three other major thrill rides.  They are a southern show from Louisiana who just plays fairs in Minnesota all summer long.

It is a nice show, everything is clean and well kept.  There are benches for us old people to sit on and watch people.  While we were sitting, we noticed that the ride boys were picking up garbage off the ground and putting it in garbage cans…some people just throw their wrappers and bottles anyplace.  There were garbage cans in plain site about every fifty feet…really people just put your garbage in the can!

A quilt that caught my eye

A well designed pot of succulents

Not sure if this is an Alpaca or a Llama…he didn’t like me very much.

Far Guy likes the chicken barn the best.  Me… I spend the most time with the goats.

The end

I saw

A rooster with no name.

Rock Stars

Twins

I heard roosters crowing, sheep baaing, and piglets squealing. 

The fair has only been on for two days…yet that old chicken house brought back many smelly memories.  Perhaps the smell is in the walls…we were happy to see the chicken house open this year…it has been closed for several years because of the bird flu. We enjoyed seeing all the different kinds of chickens.

There was a rabbit there that would have gone at least 30 pounds and made a heck of a dinner.  There were all kind of rabbits; long floppy ears, ears that stood up, spots and no spots…white, black, grey, brown and evey combination of those colors.   

Three little pigs were having a war over the water dispenser.  Two little pigs in the next stall were flinging a feed pan upside down and on top of each other.  Those pigs had quite an audience of watchers…they were very entertaining.

Nothing better than an evening spent at the County Fair.