Quiet Days

Far Guy woodcarved for a bit on Saturday morning.  He felt pretty good in the morning but the afternoon was a struggle for him. 

 Far Guy cleaned the bathtub and he scrubbed the bathroom floor for me, I could manage the rest of the clean up in the bathroom.

I did some laundry and had a nap.  

Supper was BLT's and corn on the cob.  

It was a smoky day with very unhealthy conditions out there. So we stayed inside.  Sure hope it rains on the wildfires soon.

The Grey Headed Coneflower or Ratibida pinnata is in bloom in the wildgardens.  I see them swaying in the breeze out the window. 

Minnesota weather:  High was 76F or 25C low was 58F or 15C eh!

Far Side

Last of July

 I had a quiet Tuesday, I cleaned the bathroom and did some laundry and tackled some odds and ends and then had an afternoon nap.  Still feeling pretty wiped out.  

Now we can say goodbye to July and hello August.  

Far Side

Wildflowers

 My baby brother and his bride have a beautiful planting of wildflowers. 

Very pretty wildflowers with many more buds coming on! 

I went over last night to take treats to Baxter and Smudge!  They like cheerios as treats.  Low calorie for Baxter! 

We had a quiet Sunday, I mowed the rest of the lawn in the morning and finished just before it rained.  Our rain gauge said 2 1/2 inches.  Not much to do when it rains..read and have a nap.

Far Side

Darn deer

 The Deer are eating many of the wildflowers this year.  Far Guy had a Strawberry plant in a hanging basket and they munched all the leaves off and left the stems. 

They also ate most of the Bee Balm...buggers anyway. 

Last year was a good year for Bee Balm.  This year not so much.

 We have a doe without a fawn hanging around.  I see her quite often when I am mowing. 

Far Guy is feeling a bit better, good enough that he could accompany me to a Doctor appointment in Fargo North Dakota....the Clinic was not busy at all.  It was still a long day for him with traffic and detours. 

Far Side

Tall Meadow Rue

 We went for a Ranger Blue ride in the evening. 

The Tall Meadow Rue is in full bloom along side the road where it is damp.. 

We enjoyed the ride, didn't see any people out and about...a baby rabbit running down the trail and a couple of ducks leaving the river. 

It was a quiet day yesterday. I had a few house projects to do ( we have tile floors and I scrub them section by section...yes on hands and knees twice a year and a steamer other times), Far Guy worked on woodcarvings.   The wildfire smoke wasn't too bad. 

Far Side

Wild Roses and Beans

 The Wild Roses are in bloom.  Fun to see. 

It was a rainy humid day here yesterday.  I visited Mom in the Nursing Home, my sister called and was stopping by a favorite pie place and wanted to know what kind of pie I wanted??? Sour Cream and Raisin of course. She and Mom had Oregon Berry pie.  After pie I ran some errands in town. 

Today is supposed to be cool...so I have beans that have been soaking overnight that will become baked beans...I like Great Northern and Pinto beans the best for baked beans.  Most will end up in the freezer in individual servings to enjoy with burgers or brats throughout the summer.

Far Side

Activities on Monday

 Laundry ( several loads), 51 pick up and put away, mowed lawn and sprayed for ants.   It was a full day.  I went with Far Guy to his Car Club meeting in the evening.  It was okay...they don't run a very organized meeting and it started 23 minutes late but they served root beer floats!  

During the afternoon I worked on the baby afghan and I am now doing the border.  In a few more days I will have it done. 

More yarn may have been stuffed in the mail box and the mail box didn't break this time.  As I was unpacking it some one who shall remain nameless said " When you were a paper hoarder it was less bulky compared to yarn."

Goats Beard or Tragopogon dubius   The large flower has gone to seed.  The root of this plant can be dug up and roasted and may be used as a coffee substitute.  If the economy gets much worse it may be a source of income:)

Far Side

Gaillardia

 The Gaillardia or Blanket flowers are in full bloom.  

I enjoy them when I go to check on the tomatoes. 

I have several yellow blooms. 

I do nothing to tend these flowers, I collect their seed and mow them off before winter.   They get water that the good Lord provides in rain. 

Speaking of rain...we got an inch plus of rain Sunday into Monday.  

Yesterday Far Guy and I ran errands and stopped to visit with a few of the people at our old wood carving group.    Came home and made Chicken Enchiladas for supper...I made a big pan so two nights in the future we will have easy meals. 

Yarn may have been delivered because when the Post Man tried to stuff the bags into the mail box the steel post that supports the three mail boxes broke ...my other baby brother and she who sees robins first came along and helped us fix it.  We share the post with them and also with my nephew.  It should be good for another 20 years. 

Far Side

Another sale day

 We had a good sale day yesterday.  It hardly seems like we are making progress because we keep adding items.  Saw a neighbor we had not seen in quite awhile...known for his jokes.  Had a number of out of State customers. 

One more day today and we will close up for the week.  We will see what next weekend brings. 

I walked through the East Wildflower area after supper...I need to put on my boots and take care of some poison ivy...again.  Leaves of three let it be...or let me spray it away:)

That is PI snuggled up to the Gaillardia....PI is an opportunist plant...it will snuggle up to something worthwhile to increase its chances of survival. 

We took a short ride and took care of some more Canada Thistle....miserable stuff anyways.  There was an area I was hesitant to drive into...but Far Guy managed.

The East Wildflower area is finally getting some Milkweed.  Not sure that it will flower this year because it is so dry. 

We have been noticing an increase in Monarch Butterflies around the yard.

Far Side

Rain and other stuff

 It has been a wet August so far...usually August is our dry and hot month.  It has been hot and humid from time to time but it has turned stormy and rainy.  We had 1 6/10 inches at the rain gauge from early Friday storms and all day raining.  We had some strong thunder bumpers move in.  Just like little kids we counted from the crack of the lightning to the thunder to see how far the storm was away.  Far Guy was keeping track of the storms on his phone.  I slept on and off...mostly off...so we are both tired.

Not much happening outside...except rain. 

The wildflowers are happy. 

Far Guy finished his rose carving.  We sent it off to his sister before taking a photo. So she took one for us. 

We have found that peanut butter jars work great for cushioning a woodcarving inside of a box. Far Guy painted this rose all by himself.  We discussed the color at length....I won with shades of pink. 

Far Guy's sister begins radiation treatments in early September for six weeks.

Our oldest daughter Trica tested negative for Covid finally...she had no symptoms.  She wouldn't have known about it but they tested her before emergency surgery.  (She had two positive tests.)  She is back to normal again after her surgery. 

I am working on the watercolor Christmas cards...Far Guy is carving another flower one new to him that he saw in the wild gardens. 

Far Side

Blooms and a crappy idea

Our weather is downright tropical.   I mowed in the morning before it got real hot. 

The rest of the day was quiet ...I had a long nap.

The Bee Balm or Monarda is blooming in the wild gardens.

Fireworks in flower form.

I am in between projects...Christmas Cards or Milk Can ...which project do I do next?
Something about the Christmas Card has me bugged...I need to work it out in my old brain.

I worked out a solution to stop riots...manure cannons mounted on the trucks that suck all the gunk out of your septic tank....u betcha...cover those rioters in poop...

Far Side

Tiny Daisies

We have a pretty tall flower in the wild gardens.

It is called Prairie Fleabane and it is an Erigeron of some kind. It is lovely but I suppose when it rains it will knock the plant down. 

We carved most of the day on Christmas Ornaments.  I made potato salad and we went to my baby brothers for supper...salmon and salad and sherbet for dessert. 

Far Guy has some terrible coughing spells.  He just cannot seem to catch a break.
Far Side

Water Hemlock

Water Hemlock is one of the most poisonous plants in Minnesota.

My baby brother has a whole bunch at his lake place.  When I saw them blooming last week I figured I had to make sure and properly identify the plant.

It was not blooming last year because of the construction.

The big identifier on this plant is that the veins in the leaves end at the notches in between the teeth.
It is the root that is poisonous...it is long like a carrot and if eaten will kill you.
Far Side

After some more research all parts of the plant are poisonous, some people have died after game birds ingested the seeds from Water Hemlock...and they ate the game birds and died.

A few wildflowers

There are a number of wildflowers blooming now.
Here are a few.

Northern Snow Bedstraw..yes the early settlers collected this and used it in their beds.  You can also roast the seeds and brew it like coffee.

The fragile Harebells amongst the bedstraw.  Did you know that Harebells are found all over the world?  Me neither.

I believe this is Oval Leaf Milkweed.

I sprayed Poison Ivy again yesterday and noticed a number of Monarch Butterflies on these Milkweed.

I made the rounds and had a volunteer driver for part of the day...Jordan,,,he said "I don't think I have my license on me" ...I said "Well I am the closest thing to a cop in this part of the woods...so you are safe."  He is a good driver and is getting better at identifying Poison Ivy.   He drives and I spray...

Saturday was a catch up day for me...cleaned the bathroom, did laundry, played 52 pickup and put away and did a bit of dusting before I rewarded myself with outside time and the Poison Ivy.  FYI the woodticks are still out.
Far Side

Trillium

I have been watching our Trillium, it is at the edge of the woods.   It is a sneaky plant, it comes up really fast out of nowhere...but then the flowers take about three days to form and open.

Trillium in bud

Such a beautiful flower.

We finally got a little sunshine and had a day about 70 degrees yesterday.   The grass seed that we planted before the rains began are beginning to germinate.  Good timing. 

Far Side

Rainy Day Thursday

Good thing I got outside jobs done before it began to rain.  The Burr Oak trees have enough of a canopy that I can stand under them while Chance is doing his thing.  We have cooled off here, highs are in the 70’s which is just perfect summer weather.

Rainy Day activities included; a lunch date, a load of laundry, a nap, odd ball things around the house that I needed to get to and some Find A Grave work. Before I knew it the day was over.

Some yellow flowers are beginning to bloom in the wildflower area over the septic system.  That dead plant in the middle is a Canada Thistle.  I killed it.

I put some old probably not working anymore solar lights in there to mark a few Lilac Bushes. Far Guy mowed around the edges for me.  We mowed this entire area last spring and we inadvertantly mowed down the Lilac bushes…they have come back nicely since then.

I wander through this area looking for poison ivy and thistle with my red muck boots on. We mowed part of it that had a plant (Stickseed) with burrs that Chance was getting into.  Nothing worse than a dogs covered in burrs.

Some parts are prettier than others.  Far Guy threw wildflower seed back there this spring and it is fun to see what comes up.

Thursday is always the day for Far Guy’s Infusion.  It usually goes well, we seem to be able to handle small glitches.  His port is slowing down.  Not enough to be a concern at this time, except he worries about it.

Lake

I went down on my baby brother’s dock and sat for a bit on Wednesday evening.  Watched the Loons.   I am not sure how many pairs are on the lake this year, last year there were 3 or 4 pairs.  Last year the nasty Bald Eagles took the babies that were born on the North end of the lake…it was heart wrenching to listen to…Loons wailing and crows cawing…

I sat and enjoyed the breeze off the lake.  Only one pontoon was making the rounds.

The Marsh Marigolds are in bloom.  They are Caltha paulustris but another name for them is Cowslips; because they grow on hummocks and cows can slip on them.

Last night my Dad and I went to Bingo…we were losers..so we will try again next week.

Badly needed rain is forecast for the next few days.

 

Original Wildflower Gardens

I planted flowers in this area 18 years ago.  It used to be more formal gardens, we tended gardens in between customers all summer long.  After we retired from the greenhouse business we were both burned out and just let the gardens go “wild.”  We don’t water or fertilize or do anything special, what survives …survives!

Flowers by the sauna, Gaillardia out front and Ratibida out back with various other flowers. The Gaillardia is going to seed and is on my list for collection!

Ratibida pinnata

The small windmill.  You can see the sauna and my garage in the background.  The Liatris, Rudbeckia and Physostegia (Obedient Plant) are in bloom on this end of the gardens….along with some really tall Thistle.

Liatris out in front with a sprinkling of Rudbeckia and Marge Grass in the background.

This is a new arrival this year, it showed up on the edge of the Marge Grass. It is a Helianthus  or Woodland Sunflower.  A bird must have dispersed the seed into the area.  It is a native to Minnesota plant.  Not to mention one of my favorite flower colors!

Chance usually walks out to the gardens with me. When he was younger he would run the perimeter of the gardens and lay in wait for the ball.  Nowadays he doesn’t run, he will play ball on a good day but lays down with the ball after it is thrown once or twice.

I took these photos on Tuesday toward evening, yesterday (Wednesday) it rained all day.

Fall Projects

The kitchen and bathroom have been put back together after being torn apart for the computer wires.

Far Guy mowed the wildgardens down while I cleaned out my car, the windows are washed and the inside is spotless and free of dog hair. 

I have my own shop vac in my garage. Didya know that mice can crawl up the shop vac hose and then die inside the canister?  They can, then your hero comes by and says “Sweetie I think there is a mouse in your shop vac it smells horrible.  I will dispose of it for you.”

Late in the afternoon I watched Quiz Show on Netflix…had a long nap woke up when it was over and then began watching Once Upon A Time.  Once Upon A Time was better than I anticipated.  Far Guy cooked supper...spaghetti.

  Flowers in the wildgardens last August.

Volunteers

I managed to get three sunflowers out of the five or six seedlings that were in the ground under the bird feeders.  Volunteers is what they are called, seeds you never plant but come up all by themselves to bloom.

The wild gardens have lots of volunteers.

Liatris and Rudbeckia in the wild gardens….and a whole lot of raspberry canes.  I suppose if we left them alone we would get raspberries….I mow the entire area every fall. 

Now for different types of volunteers. All the hoopla from the All School Reunion is over.  Far Guy did an excellent job getting arrangements made for his class get together of 47 years.  Just down the road Jo and classmate Barry planned their 50th Class Reunion.  I saw all the work that went into both events.  All the volunteers that made the weekend a success deserve a big thank you!  Unless you have done it yourself or helped you have no idea the hours that are spent.

We ordered prints of the photos from Far Guys Reunion and one day this week they will all go into the folder he has full of class memorabilia. The last of the bowls and misc. items left behind have been returned to their owners. All three of “the old farts” that worked so hard are exhausted and wondering what to do next …besides relax and look back on what a good time they had.