News from home

 There was a storm through Minnesota on Friday night, many people are without electricity. Luckily our home in the woods is okay. Grandgirls Savannah and Paige both had trees down…in fact a tree blocked Savannahs door. My sister has no electricity and my friend Susie has no electricity either. It will be a number of days before electricity is restored. The weather people are calling it a hurricane.

Neighbor  Leah sent me a photo of the Flax field blooming across from our driveway! I wish I could have seen it, maybe next year!

Such a beautiful sight to see! 

In other news, Miss Minnesota was crowned…and she is the beautiful Emma who lives near us and just so happens to be dating our great nephew Mason! You can check out the Miss Minnesota Facebook page to see a photo.  She is a nursing student and her platform is Water Safety Knowledge which is perfect for all the lakes we have in Minnesota.  Onward to Miss America..wouldn’t that be something!  Just so you know she is as beautiful on the inside as outside. 

Far Side

Good Roads?

 The roads were great on the way down to our place in the woods.  Lots of snow there, June our snowbank is huge.  It began to snow during the night and the next morning the roads were a sloppy slick mess.  We visited our accountant for our taxes and went to the bank.  Stopped by to visit with my Mom and we all went out to lunch with my other baby brother and she who sees robins first. 

Good to see family.  Mom is adjusting to life without my Dad, it is hard for her.  It was afternoon before we left. 

The roads were wet but good until we got 20 miles from our winter home...then it was slow going. 

The space between the two fronts was blue sky! 

We made it back safe and sound.  We were thankful that the whole drive was not icy. 

Sadie and Little Elvis were happy to see us...Andy and Jen were busy in the kitchen cooking something Oriental ... a salad...with a sauce...rice with bacon and corn...and meat, ginger, red peppers, water chestnuts...it was quite good! 

Far Side

March Snowstorm

We had a dilly of a snowstorm.  It began with rain then it turned to sleet and then snow.  The sleet made music on the windows.

We had 10 inches of snow at the snowstick before the storm, now we have 19 inches at the snowstick.  This was such a heavy snow I am sure it sunk sank decreased in measurement some…I will guess we had 12+ inches of snow.

Here Chance is walking in a tire track on the way to the mail box. (She who sees Robins first  went to work, or my other baby brother went out.)  Our drive way had no tire track and it was hard walking…just lifting our boots that high was an effort. We made a path and the return trip was easier.  The old Border Collie kept laying down to clean off the pads of his feet.

Toward evening my other baby brother and nephew came to plow us out.

The shoveling began and will continue.  We are supposed to get more snow through Tuesday.  If one had energy after shoveling this would be snowball fight snow or maybe even a snowman.

Snirt Storm and Project Updates

First it snowed and that was okay… nice big snowflakes.

BUT then the wind came up, it just howled through the yard.  Chance had to be coaxed to go out.
It was awful. The wind blew for two days…40 to 60 MPH gusts. My happy little sunflower yard decoration flew off and is probably in the lake by now.  The squirrel guard blew off the feeders, a small piss popple came down in the driveway.   I was sure we were going to lose power but we didn’t.

All of the dirt on the fields in North Dakota and Western Minnesota ended up mixed in with the snow = Snirt.  Everything is just filthy outside.  I am hoping for a rain to help clean things up.  It blew so hard that the window screens caught the snirt.  The dirt hangs there like cobwebs.

It is not exactly a winter wonderland.

There is still ice and two inches of snow at the snowstick.  We are headed back below zero again. 

Ongoing projects: 

I am working on Mikey’s blanket. (Our great grandson who will be born in May…his middle name will be Michael…so I am going to call him Mikey…just like in the Hey Mikey Life Cereal Commercials.)

Taxes!!  Information was compiled and the paperwork is at the accountants.  I am always happy to have my part completed.

A special woodcarving project is in the works…it is going slower than I anticipated.

First Snow Report

Well we got snow and it is white.  It was a heavy wet snow.

Friday morning, the snow continued to pile up throughout the day.

I went out just before dark to take a few more photos.

I ventured through the snow to  sweep off the snowstick.  It says about seven inches but the wind was blowing the snow around…so I will guess we got about nine inches.  The snow was above my snow boots…uffda that was a chilly reminder that I should have shoved my pants legs in my socks.

Birds visited the feeders throughout the day. A few geographically challenged Finches, and our usual Chickadees, Grossbeaks and Woodpeckers.

This poor tree is broken.

The sunset was pink through the snow filled trees.

Far Guy shoveled a path for Chance and my other baby brother plowed our driveway.

There is time enough to do the shoveling today, we have no plans to go anyplace, it is probably just as well I imagine the roads are a tad icy.  We are thankful that we were able to escape power outages, many were not so lucky.

The weather channel named this storm Argo.

Rain and other stuff

We seem to be in a wet cycle.  I told Far Guy today that if this keeps up through the winter we will be covered in many feet of snow.

There was a lightening strike in the middle of the night (Monday morning) that took me from laying down to standing up all in one movement.  My other baby brother lost Internet and TV Service not sure how his equipment fared.  Jo and Steve lost Internet and TV also but no equipment because Jo unplugged everything before the storm.  There was sheet lightening so bad it was like daytime out there and it poured rain and rumbled.  We lost power momentarily.  Chance and I were awake for a really long time after that.  We got 1 1/2 inches of rain and our yard has lots of small twigs that fell from the Oaks.

Poor Chance, we have some weed that has a black seed with a sharp hook on the end, the seed is about an inch long.  It seems he was either stabbed by one or one twisted and embedded into his skin, just the end was sticking out…we did some doctoring and pulled it out and treated him with antibiotic ointment and hope he doesn’t get real sick…he may need a course of antibiotics. Plus he has an ear infection again…but not in his usual ear.  This time it is his right ear which has never had an infection before. It is usually his left ear.  He has been tired and just not himself…don’t know what to blame, the ear, the wound or old age or maybe it is just too hot and humid…sure wish he could talk.

Rose Hips forming on the wild roses. I need to go trim them and make sure no hips are Chance height as he likes to eat them.

66 out of 80 Christmas Ornaments have been completed so we are on the home stretch!

Last of the Summer Skies

We can bid adieu to August.  She was dry and cool and then dry and scorching hot. 

Around these parts August is the last of summer.  September is when school starts and everyone closes up their cabins for the winter.  Most of the tourists will have exited the State by Monday afternoon.  All that will be left of tourists is the older retired couples who like the cool nights and fall colors.

The skies were quite dramatic last evening.  A storm was heading our way carrying a little bit of much needed rain.  Chance hates the thunder…he ended up on the floor in the back seat…poor boy is such a fraidy cat dog when it comes to thunder.

We drove around looking at the clouds.  It doesn’t take much to entertain us anymore.

We headed up to the prairie.  From the cemetery we watched the storm come in and the sun try to burn it’s way through the clouds.  By the time we made it back home it was raining!  I hoped to photograph some lightening..no luck this time:)

Some Blues

It was a long week. 

Last night I spent some time sitting outside in the yard listening to the thunder up north.  It was almost a constant rumble..Chance even deserted me.

Yes the Burr Oaks are still skeletal looking.  They have tiny buds…they take forever to leaf out.

I love how the light plays on the thunderhead..it was going north of us.

The woods was alive with bird song, the Loons down on the lake were calling to each other.  The Gold Finches were singing like there will be no tomorrow.  Robins flitted in and out of the yard, the Chickadees were dee dee deeing, and then there was a squawk.

This guy was being a flirt…he strutted his stuff…

Finally the lure of the suet was just too much…

See how tiny the buds are on the oaks?

The Blue Jays don’t come into the yard too often..this is the first time I have gotten decent photographs of them!  I would say it was patience..but I know better..I was just too tired to get out of the chair.

I hope to get caught up on some rest today!

Far Guy is feeling a bit better..not perfect..but better:)

Snow and More Snow

We spent most of yesterday morning moving snow.  So Chance could potty..and so we could get the vehicles out if need be and to feed the hoards of birds that were waiting in the trees.

I am not much of a machinery person, but managed to spell Far Guy with the snow blower.  I handed him my shovel and said “Here lean on this for awhile.”  Good thing he is a great mechanic..as we sheared off a shear pin.  Luckily he had several replacements.

The snow stick is still out there..I think it is measuring about 20 inches of snow for a total..since I would have to wade out there..I am not sure.

Perhaps I will shovel my way there tomorrow or the next day.  Yes, we will have a snow stick contest  again..I am working on a couple of cute bark carvings..more details will be forthcoming. 

This storm brought in 14 1/2 inches of snow. The most snow we have had in one dump for quite a while.

Far Guy and Chance ventured to the mail box..Far Guy had to roll over the top of a four foot high snow bank to get to the road..and then there was no mail..

They took my old camera with them.  Chance is wondering if they shouldn’t turn around.  Blazing a trail was not easy:)

Weathering the Storms and Wild Iris

Yesterday there were 35 tornadoes in Minnesota. The town of Wadena was hard hit yesterday, it is located about 45 miles south of us. We were in the grocery store when the Noah weather radio started going off. We headed home and just as we pulled into the yard it began to rain, we let Chance out..he made short work of his business. The thunder rolling across the area was continual. Far Guy said "Sounds like a freight train." We were joined a few minutes later by the neighbors, we enjoyed some snacks with the busy twins and Aubrey. Aubrey is talking more and more..she can now say Yucky ( That is what Chance's ball is after he drools on it). I think her speech is improving, although much of what she says is in her own language. The twins did lots of tornado talk..but the bad weather was the reason they were not allowed upstairs to play with the trains.


Daughter Jen sent us a photo of a snaky, tall and lean twister up in her area. I immediately wanted to know where she was when she took the photo..she was safely south of the tornado. Even though it was a cool photo, I wondered why she was not in her basement. Where were her children? Where were her nieces? Well, with her of course and they all got to see the twister.


Jen has her hands full, she is taking care of Maddie and Paige this week..in addition to moving into their "new" old house two blocks from where they live now. We were supposed to be extra hands and support this past week, but Far Guy is ill, he has been to the Doctor,no exact diagnosis has been made, he has a temperature and aches all over and his normal (that is a terrible way to describe it) ..yes his normal pain level has been ramped up several notches ..to barely tolerable. The Doctor "thinks" it might be one of the tick borne diseases that has exacerbated his Trigeminal Neuralgia pain. Think twisting a knife in an already present wound. Call back if he doesn't feel better soon..in the meantime he is to take doxycycline..just like Chance did awhile back for his anaplasmosis. Chance took it for 28 days, Far Guy for just a week..what is up with that? Darn deer..darn ticks..darn TN. June has not been a good month for Far Guy. This last more violent episode is a week old today, that is when he woke up with throbbing pain that has never left from the right side of his face. Maybe one of these days he will wake up with no pain..yeah right.. we would just settle for having the old pain back, this new pain is the pits. As Far Guy's Neurologist says..when you have TN anything is possible, as it seems to have a mind of it's own. We are "laying low" staying quiet, not venturing too far from home..Chance and I have had a few wildflower adventures. I feel sorry for Jen, I am sorry that we were not there to help her out, but you do what ya gotta do..and she understands that.

The Wild Iris are blooming. Iris versicolor or Blue Flag Iris is one of my favorite native plants, it is a good year for them. They are on the riverbank a mile away..

and they are in some of the swamps. They always look so darn cheerful:)