Up North

 We travelled to two Doctor's appointments for me.  The first to have the Doctor add a different blood pressure med since one of the others was causing tummy troubles.  Then I had a different injection in my back.  So far so good we will see what happens in the next week or so.  This injection was a Transforminal Epidural Injection...there were two injections...and it was quite painful.  No pain no gain they say.  Still hopeful that it will work. 

We celebrated Jen's birthday a few days early...we went out to Supper at one of Jen's favorite places Ely's Ivy on Tuesday evening.  The food was awesome...I had Gluten Free chicken and roasted potatoes....my stomach was so happy to have real food...if a stomach could smile mine was beaming from ear to ear.  It all settled well with no tummy troubles. 

We got to pet Sadie several many times and Jen, Far Guy and I went to pick out the lighting fixtures for our Suite in the new house.  Right now the house is getting plumbing (almost done) and electrical...next up is insulation and sheetrock.  I should have taken photos but I did not. 

We also went to Hobby Lobby and yarn may have been purchased...you just never know what jumps right in your cart in that store. 

Leaves are stacking up in the yard! 

Minnesota weather: Rain fell on our way home Wednesday late afternoon. High 67F or 19C   Low 48F or 9C

What's cooking?  Eggs and potatoes....easy supper after being gone all day.

Far Side

Another Fall day

 Yesterday I mulched leaves in the neighborhood.  It is getting a tad cool to be out and about on the mower in my Summer mowing clothing.  My other baby brother has more leaves left on his trees than we do.   He has more of a variety of trees than we do....Birch, Popple and Red Oak.

I worked on Christmas Cards in the morning and did some household "stuff."

Flowers in town last Summer. 

We had frost...it was 25 F and the ground was white with frost.

Far Side

Another Thursday

 Another Thursday is in the books.  Far Guy had his infusion and I went grocery shopping.  It rained and the wind blew more leaves around and out of the trees.  At home we put away groceries and had a nap. I slept through some movie...I saw the beginning and the end.  

Our weather has turned cool.  We had temperatures in the 90's a few days ago and now we are in the 50's....what happened to the 70's or even the 60's???  Mother Nature is not fair.   Our high yesterday was 52 F or 12 C eh!  Some weather person mentioned the S word too...said it could S in the upper atmosphere but it would melt if it hit the ground...lovely.

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

Leaf me alone

 I am so done with leaves.  The last of nine mulchings was completed on Friday...it was dirty work as it is real dry here.  Yesterday Far Guy washed up the mower and got it ready for winter. 

We washed the windows again...this time using glass wax.  Earlier we used something else and it just wasn't working either that or when it sprinkled a tad bit of rain it had mud in it.  :(

Yesterday we had 63 F or 18 C for a high...although Far Guy reports that out thermometer was showing 70 F for a while in the sunshine. 

I collected all the yard art that I wanted to save from winters wrath.   We still have a few things to do on our list but we are basically ready for winter. 

I sprayed one last time for ants on the outside perimeter of the house.  

Yesterday we got a heap of mail...mostly Medicare stuff...switch here...try this...they are pretty stupid as they included return postage paid envelopes.  So I returned them...empty. 

Lately my email has been getting some scam stuff...can you believe I won an I Phone, a set of Nordic Cookware, a Generator and a Vacuum cleaner and if that don't beat all a Lawn Mower...I just had to give them a credit card to pay for the shipping.   It all sounds so good...I can see why some people are sucked in. 

Photo taken before I got the blower out and blew most of these leaves into the woods...it looks better now. 

Far Side

Yard report

I mulched for the 4th time....a few more times to go if the weather holds.  Perhaps a big wind will come by and knock the rest of the leaves from the trees.  The high yesterday was about 42 F or 5 C eh!

Can you believe it is October and the grass is still growing?  Must be all the rain we have had.

I have a few flowers left too.

Far Guy says the leaves are half down...encouraging.

This photo was taken over by the Minnesota Snowball Shrub/Tree.  I enjoyed seeing the leaves all different colors.

Far Side

Less leaves

Most all of the leaves are out of the trees.  We mulched for the 8th or 9th time…I lost track.

Before

After… we are making progress

One more time and we may be done.

We are staying busy. We washed a couple of windows and did a bunch of small projects.  It snowed again Wednesday morning…enough to make the ground white it must be our 5th or 6th snow I have lost track of that too…the snow reminded me that I needed to give my winter boots a waterproof treatment.

It is supposed to be real nice and warm today 50 something degrees so the flower bed is on my list. Solar lights will replace dead flowers and leaves.

Battles

We might lose a battle to the fierce winds that came through but we are winning the war against the leaves.

Tuesday we blew leaves out of the entire yard.  Wednesday Far Guy raked and blew and I went round and round on the lawnmower mulching the leaves.  The wind was uncoorperative Wednesday as it swirled around and came from all directions…we finally both came in and had a nap.

Popples behind the house.

Someday all the leaves will be out of the trees…the Popples seem to be hanging onto their leaves a long time this Fall.

The Asian Lady Beetles have decended upon us.  They showed up when the bean fields were harvested…no more food source for them.  They look like harmless Lady Bugs but they are more orange than red and they bite and if you squish them they stink.   Far Guy battled them one day with the vacuum cleaner. I chose the flyswatter as my weapon…it was futile. We have to shake off before coming indoors to rid ourselves of the horrid little creatures.

October rain

The leaves are falling and it rains every other day.  It is good for the trees and ducks and that is about it.   No fire danger here this year.  The potato harvest…well any kind of harvest has come to a halt in the damp weather.

Far Guy has mulched leaves twice now.  About eight more times unless it stays wet ..or the S word happens.

 

Even the bees are wet…sleeping maybe…showered while they slumber.

The acorns that were crunching underfoot are getting soaked and softer.  They no longer make me wish I wore shoes with hard soles.  So there are some benefits of the rains.

Some days a person has to look on the bright side!

Leaves

The leaves are changing and falling.

I suppose it is time. They must fall in the Fall.

Far Guy mulched (chopped up) the leaves the other day.  Round one is done…about nine more to go.

I cannot drive the lawn mower yet…maybe next week.  I could kinda drive the buggy in the grocery store yesterday….with more than one hand.  So that is an improvement.

 

It is cool and rainy here.  We should be at peak leaf color in a few days.

Fall Projects

I am making headway.  The leaves were mulched again, I believe that is the sixth or seventh time. Far Guy accused me of waiting on the lawn tractor and as soon as a leaf hit the ground I mulched it…I don’t think it was quite that bad.

One more nice day and the lawn should be done for the winter.  I trimmed most of the limbs that I have been fighting all summer…the limbs never seem as bad when they are leafless.

We accomplished all the soup making, the freezer has an assortment of meals ready to warm up.  Vegetable Soup, Chicken and Noodles, Chicken Tortilla Soup and Chili.

My glass flowers are all cleaned and put away for the winter.  We took the rain gauge in before it froze!

We are working on a carving project so most days we spend a few hours carving. 

We finally discovered what our Internet problems are and we are in the process of figuring out how we can hardwire both the HP Computers that are supposed to be wireless but are slow and experience dropped signals…which puts someone in a very bad mood.  His computer which is still under warranty drops the signal quite often…he is a regular at HP Support.

I have a theory about the Internet problems but what do I know?  When the lightening damaged our Router I believe it also damaged our Wireless connection on the two Desk Tops…the HP Laptop is just fine as is the Ipad… those signals are strong. The router was replaced and nothing has been the same since with the Desk Tops.   We had a Technician over who could not find the problem and had no answers.  Thanks to good friend and computer guru Intense Guy we are on a better track now. 

Since we built this house we think we know a way to run the wires from the Utility Room to the Living Room…we will see. It could be an adventure.

Any leaf

Is a good leaf as long as I don’t have to mulch, rake or blow it into the woods.

Yesterday I did the second mulching ( I have mulching blades on my lawn mower that rips/shreds the leaves to smithereens.)  I even have a new set of mulching blades waiting in the wings if I need them….I am so worth those expensive blades.  Our lawn such that it is never needs fertilizer…between Chance and the mulched leaves we are set to go.

I have guesstimated that there will be ten mulches in total…unless it snows.

I can get it all done in about 90 minutes.  Yesterday we used the blower to scoot all the leaves out of the rocks next to the house…that will have to be done at least three times before it is over.

A Maple tree on the Hanna Ore Road October 3 2015

I also had time to get the leaves out of the flower bed, my Marigolds are still looking pretty good.  Good enough that I watered them probably for the last time.

Some have been nipped by the frost but the glass flower hovering over these must have saved them.  I have been pleased with the sunny yellow color of these Marigolds and the Red Salvia was a hit with the Hummingbirds…plus the Salvia has reseeded itself!

I worked on the wood carved Christmas ornaments.  I have completed 67…another 6 to go and then a few extras…because I will always need a few extra.