Still Busy Days

 Paige, Cole and Savannah came by to help us out with some yard work and some housekeeping.  So we are caught up again for awhile.  We had a really nice visit with them all and sweet Rosie.  Rosie is Cole and Paige's Dachshund. 

In the evening we went to the neighbors get together a pork feed and a barn dance.  It was great food and fun to watch  the little kids playing ball.   We got to see a few people that we hardly ever get to see. It was quite windy and we left early.  I am sure the younger crowd will carry on!  

Aubrey is at her Grandparents and I will visit her one day soon...she needs a bit of time to rest and recover a bit after her surgery. 

Far Guy pulled Tilly out of her garage and washed her white walls...they look perfect again. 

Minnesota weather:  High 82F or 28C  Low was 59F or 15C   We need rain...the small farmers that cannot afford irrigation will be SOL if it doesn't rain soon. 

The pollen is heavy outside.  The Oaks are full of what we call danglies...but are technically Catkins. 

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

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
 

Sunday

 Sunday was uneventful.  We finally felt up to working on the 2025 Christmas woodcarvings.  They are in all stages of progress... 26 are nearing completion...maybe. 

Minnesota weather: High was 54F and the low was 29F according to Far Guy...when I got up moisture was dripping off the garage roof. 

For supper we had salad, fish, carrots and pineapple.  The carrots that my baby brother and his wife canned were delicious!

My other baby brother and she who sees robins first came by to visit in the evening.

We have a fairly busy week with five medical appointments...however two are virtual...but one is far away....and so it goes. 

A large warm blanket a birthday gift from neighbor JoLynn!  Thanks Jo! She knows I like sunflowers!

Far Side

Quiet Day

 It was a quiet day on Saturday. I went over to visit my baby brother, his bride, Smudge and Baxter in the afternoon.   Then I had a nap.  We started watching Poldark on Netflix....my kind of show.

Far Guy got the new battery hooked up for Tilly and drove her out of the garage!   

We had what is in the freezer meals for supper...I had vegetable beef soup and Far Guy had Jambalaya.

Evening Visitors were next door neighbors Steve and Jo.  Good to see them!

Minnesota Weather; High 55F or 13C  Low was 36 or 2C eh.

Far Side

A Bird Feeder

 Next door neighbor Steve made us a bird feeder.

He came over and sawed off the top of a dead Oak and the stump makes a perfect spot for a bird feeder! 

Now if the squirrels and the bear leave it alone! 

Thanks Steve!

Minnesota Weather on Monday: High 60F or 16C Low 45F or 8C.  It was cloudy, smoky and spit rain a bit. 

Monday Far Guy made Impossible Italian Sausage Pie for supper.  I gathered ingredients for him and did the dishes.  We both had two naps...morning and afternoon. 

Hope you are all having a wonderful day! 

Far Side

Wednesday a quiet day

 We needed a quiet day after traveling for two days. I am not doing well riding in the car...about an hour from home I crawled into the back seat and slept.  The pain was too much. 

I did some laundry on Wednesday and put a few things away, had a nap and we cooked supper together.  A Philly Cheese concoction on pretzel buns....a double batch was made so that the next time we can just heat it up and not cook! 

*******

Philly Pretzel Buns

Brown a pound of hamburger

Add 1 cup of beef broth and three tablespoons of A 1 Steak sauce. I save the other cup of broth and freeze it for next time

Simmer until mixture is reduced

Slice pretzel buns in half, top with half the mixture and cheese we like mozzarella 

It makes four servings so I freeze the rest for a no cook day. 

Broil until cheese melts. 

I served it with pickles and carrot sticks. 

*********

I am finishing up my book for book club...I have read it before but it is a fun second read.

Neighbor and good friend Jolynn had a hysterectomy yesterday in Duluth for Endometrial Cancer.  Her daughters report she is doing okay, there will be no results on the status of the cancer until next week.  So she is heavy on my mind. 

Far Side

Really Dog Days of Summer

 Really warm and humid yesterday, the kind of day that dogs dig holes so they can curl up in some cool dirt.  Another 83F/29C with 85% humidity.  

It was a good day to spray some weeds in amongst the rocks.   After sprayer difficulties I finally got it done.   That was enough outside work for the day.  Inside I cleaned the bathroom and did some laundry...you know fun stuff.   Far Guy convinced me to go to lunch/supper with him...so we did ...it was a nice drive and good food at our favorite Mexican place.  Came home had a nap and then for a Ranger ride.  

We stopped by the neighbors, the Lilac bushes are taking a hit this year.  A Winter with no snow and a wet Spring/Summer and the Lilacs have some kind of blight.   They will come back although they look pretty bad right now.  The experts say to clean up all the leaves that have fallen off and to cut down some of the inner stems to open up the plants for more air flow. (That is my report for Roger!)

I am getting ready to go Up North for a bit...Far Guy has an appointment up there one day and down here at home the next day...so he will travel back and forth and come get me when he misses me.  My hip simply cannot take the ride back and forth and back again. Besides that Sadie and Little Elvis will like my company. Jen has some big projects and hopefully I will be of some help. 

Far Side

Town

 We ran an errand into town, Far Guy needed to go to Fed X  to get a box.  I have been trying to get a parking spot outside of Ben Franklin for weeks.  ( Cause I needed some yarn...yes I really did!)  So anyways Far Guy dropped me off and picked me up...stopping traffic both times..oh well we could have been tourists.  (There is center parking and street parking, so traffic often stops for people crossing the street. )

Now I have a question for all my readers.  ???

If you were driving 5 miles over the speed limit 60 in a 55 zone and a car was following you close and wanting to pass so bad that they passed you in a no passing zone...double yellow lines because it was a hill you could not see over the other side to see if anything was coming...what would you do except hold your breath and say a quick prayer that nothing was coming???  AND say you just happened to speed up enough to see the License Plate number...because you see during the Detour we have had all Summer traffic is heavy and there were many cars in front of me.  Then perhaps I followed the car part way home because they just happened to be going past our driveway...but headed further on down to the lake..and I am very curious to go and look at all the license plate numbers.   

What would you do?  Would you go look..out of curiosity...out of delayed road rage...you so want to write a note and leave it with the date and time just incase it was a teen driver...maybe it would save a life someday??? 

Far Side

Neighbors new puppy

 The neighbors Steve and Jo got a new puppy.  A tri color Aussie.   Her name is Toots. 

She is sure cute.

Typical puppy; sharp teeth and short attention span. 

Far Side

Up

 I would not do this but it was fun to see and hear this fella the other night.  

Here is a pretty good side view of his flying contraption.

We were at the neighbors...so I managed the old windmill in the photo.

Monday was a quiet day, I killed some ants and did some laundry.  I put ribs in the crock pot, Far Guy made us a baked potato and green beans. 

We are getting some smoke from the wildfires up North. 

Far Side

Busy Day

 We had a busy day Thursday; Infusion for Far Guy while I picked up groceries and ran errands. 

Toward evening we headed in to the funeral home for the visitation for our neighbor lady who died suddenly last Saturday.  The line of people waiting to pay their respects spilled out the doors and into the parking lot.  We signed the guest book gave our condolences to her husband and left.  Way too many people for us to stick around and visit. 

Every person over 30 that had a lawn chair was in town getting their spot on Main Street to listen to some band and frequent the beer garden, anyone who was not there was at the fairgrounds for the fair, or standing in line at the funeral home. 

Minnesota State bird..the Loon...I took this photo a number of years ago...I always liked it because the water looks so cool and refreshing.  We are headed back into the 80 F degrees again...I don't see 90 F in the forecast but you never know. 

Far Side

Rainbow

 We attended a neighborhood picnic last night...great food and company!  Pot luck...with many great cooks...the cajun cooks are here so the fresh shrimp they brought with them was awesome.  Far Guy said the egg rolls and jambalaya were both to die for!  I did not cook...a couple of containers of strawberries was the best I could do. 

It sprinkled a bit ...just a few drops...but enough for a rainbow that was double at times. 

 Photo by my baby brother's bride...she had her phone...I did not.  

Yesterday one vehicle got an oil change and a car wash and the other ( Tilly) is still in the shop for a diagnosis. 

Far Side

New in the neighborhood

 We have a new friend in the neighborhood.  

Her name is Smudge and Baxter is her big brother. 

My baby brother and his bride rescued Smudge from Northwest Aussie Rescue. 

She is 1/2 toy Aussie, 1/4 Pug and 1/4 Beagle.  She won't get real big.  She has Beagle ears and tail.

She is pretty cute!

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

Photo project

 I finished with my Mom's photos, they have been sorted and some have been scanned.  All the old black and whites have been scanned, the color photos I chose to scan were the most interesting ones. I asked my siblings to stop by and pick up their photos.  I put out a plea on Facebook to my cousins to come and get their old photos.  We will see who shows up.

It is good to have that project behind me.  

Far Guy went to a 90th birthday gathering for the Tomato Man who lives over on the narrows.  He had a good visit with everyone.  I did not go...I was having a bad Arthritis day...so the warm rice bag and the couch were my activity for the afternoon. 

 

Photo from 1957.  The photo was taken in my maternal grandparents yard.  On the back of the photo it says "Ma's new Buick"  that must be the 1957 Buick in the background.  The Buick next to the house is a 1950 Buick Eight.

I do not recall either vehicle. 

"The Tomato Man"  doesn't every rural community have someone who is known by a nickname?  In this case Curtis is known for the tomatoes he has grown since he was a kid.  He hangs out a sign with the word Tomatoes on it and people stop by to buy his tomatoes.

Far Side

Spit

 I could spit as much as it rained yesterday.   We are so dry.  The grass is dry and crunchy, leaves are littering the ground and acorns are everywhere. 

Yes that is our lawn.

The deer have been in our yard every night eating acorns...I will have to rake some of them up as it is hard to walk on the acorns that roll under your feet. 

I ran all kind of errands in town and managed to get the beige Dobby yarn for Ree's Halloween Hat. Stopped and saw my Mom for a bit.  She and a friend were working on a puzzle.  One of the old neighborhood guys stopped by the puzzle room to update us on his 88 year old brother who has been put on hospice.  It is a sad time for their family.

Far Side 

T

 We are tuckered out and had our fill of turkey for quite a long time.  

We had a quiet day Saturday we went to recycle and then dropped by the neighbors for coffee.   Older folks talk about their health ...they have cataract surgery and a possible back surgery happening in the next month or so.   Thankfully Far Guy and I have no surgery coming up.  I am tired...and Far Guy is short of breath...same old same old health complaints.   They filled us in on a mutual friend struggling with dementia...so sad.   So it could be worse. 

My baby brothers bride shared her photo of the Thursday turkey.

Far Side

Barn and Yard

 My other baby brother called and said "Come look at the barn Steve ( neighbor married to Jo) made for me!"  

It sits next to the desk at his office.  A wonderful replica of the barn at the farm where we grew up. A real work of art! 

As you can see our yard looks tidy.  There are leaves in the woods but not on the lawn.  Not many leaves left on the trees.  The Bur Oaks drop their leaves. 

The Red Oaks along with Northern Pin Oaks will keep their leaves most of the winter,  wind and snow knock some to the ground.  Swelling new buds in the Spring will force the old leaves off.  

Big word alert.  The leaves have marcescence ...they wither but remained attached by the stem. 

Far Side