January Whine

Thank goodness half of this horrible month is over, I know that I am not supposed to wish my life away..but January in Minnesota sucks. 

Yesterday we went out for lunch, we tried a restaurant that used to be good..but it isn’t anymore.  I guess we should have known that when we pulled up and there was no one in the parking lot.  I observed that the place could have used a good dusting and cleaning and a floor scrub and wax too…I noticed all this whilst I shivered.  The large windows that face the lake were all frosted over and you couldn’t see outside.  It is hard to eat your lunch with your gloves on.  My feet although swathed in my 40 below zero boots..got cold.  I got indigestion, probably because their grill has not been cleaned off properly. I am not going back there anytime soon.

We came home and I took a three hour nap. Far Guy baked some Salmon for supper…he would be considered a world class chef in that restaurant we visited.

Last night I tried to watch the Golden Globe Awards..it was all a bunch of people I didn’t know..( I did know Michael Douglas..and Sylvester Stallone…has he has surgery or what?).  I have not seen any of the movies..and apparently I don’t watch the right TV shows..I must be out of the loop.  

Now it is Monday..it is above zero but we are headed into the deep freeze the rest of the week..and Far Guy just reported to me that Chance has Cabin Fever and needs to go for a long walk.  I suggested that Chance learn how to walk on the treadmill..but that didn’t go over very well:) 

More snow

Well what is a little more snow..we still have room for taller snow banks.

  We are not even up to the top of the snow stick yet.  This last snow brought a little more than an inch of the beautiful white stuff.

We went for a ride..Cabin Fever..that old in the middle of the winter feeling..do something even if it is wrong. 

 

We looked for animal tracks..the snow plow had gone on many of the roads obliterating the tracks. The most exciting thing we saw was a jet trail underlining the moon.

This is a Norway Pine, Pinus resinosa, it is the State Tree of Minnesota.  In other States it would be called a Red Pine, here in Minnesota where we do things our own way and make up our own rules..because it is so cold we call it a Norway Pine.

What else do we do to ward off Cabin Fever? We watch Fighting Sioux Hockey ..last night it was the University of North Dakota Sioux vs. the Minnesota Gophers..Friday night it was much more interesting because there were lots of fist-de-cuffs..and shoving.  I heard that one dead animal type gopher made it out on the ice..it used to be a tradition that the Sioux Fans would throw them out..not so much anymore.  I wonder how many gophers were confiscated by security?  Far Guy and I both watch from our respective couches. I nap in-between fights and goals, Chance lays by me since I will scratch his back until I nod off.  If Far Guy gets excited and jumps up off the couch, Chance is immediately awake and ready to go leaving me in the dust.

Uffda..Ubetcha..things are really exciting up here in the frozen tundra of Minnesota:)

 

Collections: Gene Autry

I have written about Far Guys Gene Autry collection before.

It all began with a cap gun that he had as a child.  He built this frame as a display to hold all his memorabilia.

We just kept collecting..a record here..a little lunchbox that holds Gene Autry trading cards..some books..and then they came out with the postage stamps.   I located an old horseshoe and framed a few stamps. Then I decided it needed a whole sheet of Cowboy Stamps.  Finally there was no more room and the lunch box never fit..it was too thick for the frame.

Far Guy bought a new book..

I thought it was perfect.

He was going to leave this one behind..because of the price tag..it was a tad more than the 25 cents that it originally cost. How much of a tad..27.75 more than a tad..but she was having a sale..so I snagged it for 14.00.  No, I have not checked what they are going for on eBay or elsewhere. I had the opportunity to purchase this same book years ago for 5 dollars..Far Guy thought it was way over priced then..this time I didn’t pay attention to him..so I am now the proud owner of this book..and he lets me keep it with his stuff. It has Gene Autry’s horse Champion on the cover..it was a much better find than the book with the silly old rope..besides that mine is a First Edition!!

Far Guy built a new case.. it is the same size but deeper, the lunch box fits now. The lunch box was a gift from daughter Jen.

This part of the wall in the living room is Far Guys..

The old Gene Autry Cowboy Boots ad was a gift from Jen as was  “The Day the Angels Cried” 9-11 print. (* Click to enlarge)

Far Guy says “WE are done with this collection, everything fits.” :)

A Winter Garden

My garden in the winter lays quietly under the snow, sleeping,  resting, languishing in its frozen state waiting to be called from its snowy icy slumber when the snow melts and the spring sunshine slowly warms the earth.

All the weeds are enjoying the snow cover, I think they like the party atmosphere of a snow bank and they multiply under there all winter long.  Not a one of them dies from the harsh winter or the frost heaving the ground…every spring they attack the perennials with renewed pleasure..

  

Parts of the garden that we used to till are now mowed..plants have reseeded in spots they have chosen..some plants like the Lupines just sow themselves and grow wherever their seed lands.  I gave up on weed control..it is what it is..weeds are beautiful too. 

Life is too short to be concerned with how many weeds you have in your garden..if you waste all your time on the weeds you will forget what you really planted your garden for..

the flowers..the ones that are strong enough and tall enough to live amongst the weeds.

Two things happened recently.

The first:   Nanna nanna boo boo..God is going to get you..and I will stand at the side lines and clap.  A Doctor at a local clinic is finally being sued for malpractice…it is way past time..I would testify against her ( Doctor She Devil) in a heartbeat. If you think that sounds cruel..perhaps it is..but having a license to practice medicine does not give you the right to batter your patients. Someone finally had the guts to stand up and say..enough is enough.

The second : My girls are 35 and 38 years old..well this year they will be 36 and 39..but that is the point..hopefully they will both celebrate their birthdays this year.  I have a friend in blogland whose son died yesterday morning..he was 33.  His death was anticipated after the cancer diagnosis last June.  Cancer never wins..Nathaniel won in the end..he tromped all over cancer as he marched victorious into heaven:)

Big Tracks!

Yesterday we heard that there was a wolf in the area.  We saw him earlier in the winter, although there was some argument whether he was a wolf or a coyote.

Well the proof is in the tracks.

Far Guy says that this guy is twice as big as Chance..and Chance weighs 60 Ibs.  There was a little new snow ..so the tracks were fresh and easy to spot. He seems to have been hunting rabbits.

It was a great afternoon to see where the deer have been.

This is the Dead Beaver Area in the dead of winter. It looks safe enough..but there is quite a current under that snow cover.

This is where we found the most tracks.  The wolf was using the road as a trail. We let Chance out of the car..to get a good smell of the area. He liked walking the groomed snowmobile trail!  Apparently the wolf was not in the area..because Chance was quite happy.

He chose to come back over the snow bank the same spot he went in..and he so kindly stopped on command for a photo! He loves afternoon adventures. 

The snow settled some..and we got a little more..here is the snowstick.

Holding at the twenty inch mark. The last snow really settled..it must have been heavy snow:)  

Wistful Wednesday: 1950

My maternal grandparents were Elsie and Albert, they were the grandparents that we visited every Sunday afternoon without fail.  After I was married I was expected to visit there on Sunday afternoons too..I chose to go on other days so I could actually visit. 

This is my grandparents the year before I was born.  They are all dressed up for church.  Remember those rubber overshoes like my grandma has on? All the ladies wore them in the winter..so they wouldn’t get their good shoes snowy or wet. Grandmas were the fancy smancy ones..they had fur at the top.

This is a summer time photo around the same time..give or take a year or two.  This is how I remember them dressing every day..Grandma in a house dress and Grandpa in his bibs with his engineers cap.  I think that is Dixie..they had a few Dixies in their time..Dixie would have been a cow dog…she would have went to the pasture and brought the cows up to the barn for milking. Dixie would have understood both English commands and German commands.

This is the house where I learned to play “Annie I Over” one summer Sunday afternoon.  Now for the younger readers..this is how you play.  You split into two teams, one team on each side of the house.  You throw a large ball over the roof and holler Annie I Over!  Then you wait..if the kids on the other side of the house catch the ball then they will sneak around the house and tag someone with the ball and then you are on their team. If no one catches the ball they are suppose to holler “Pig Tail” and then it is their turn to throw it over..always hollering “Annie I Over” as the ball goes up and over the house. It was a great game full of throwing, anticipation, running for your life to the other side of the house..and giggling..lots of giggling:)   

Toast

Simple..I have two slices of buttered toast every morning with an apple for breakfast.  I am a creature of habit. I used to have a banana, but I think I may be allergic to them so I switched to an apple. Not just any old apple either a Raeburn..tart and crisp.

When we used to go camping I missed my toast. We never splurged and bought one of those baskets that you could toast bread with over the campfire.

I have made toast in the oven on a cookie sheet under the broiler..but given my history with burning things under the broiler I am glad I don’t have to do it that way everyday.

Now here is a non electric toaster for you. Apparently the bread was strapped on with the wires..it was placed on the stove.  If it was a newfangled gas stove with an actual burner then this toaster was placed over the burner. If it was an old wood fired cook stove I guess it just sat on top waiting for the bread to become toast.  I wonder how long it took to make toast that way?

Far Guy likes toast..he likes his peanut butter toast at night and in the morning too..so does Chance.

One day our toaster gave up the ghost. It had toasted it’s last slice of bread, it was about time, it had only been toasting one side of the bread for years, you had to flip it around to achieve equal toasting or just be happy with one sided toast. It was a plain old white toaster. Easy to clean..you could tell when it was dirty.

We went shopping and bought a Oster..yup an Oster Toaster..brushed stainless steel. It has a retractable cord, whoopee..and a button that says cancel just incase your toast is burning and you need to pop it up manually.

  For comparison..there is an old electric toaster sitting next to it..a very pretty stainless steel one that is an antique..Far Guy needs to rewire the electrical cord.  Times sure have changed.

I am sure that this new brushed stainless steel lummox of a toaster was designed by a man.  You know how I can tell?   All along the top of that toaster between the black and the stainless..there is a ditch..a road for crumbs..a place for every little crumb to try and make a home.  When it is about to drive me totally nuts..I drag out the Q-Tips and wet them and go crumb chasing.  I have not decided what is worse..chasing crumbs in that toaster ditch..or having a toaster that when moved even slightly would spew all its crumbs from its bottom all over the counter…or the one that would get so hot on the outside that if someone put the plastic bread bag too close it would melt to the outside of the toaster creating its own artwork.

I know my toaster problems and opinions might seem small in comparison to all the problems in this troubled world..and some people even have worse toaster problems than me..like Karen at Wyndson Farm.

Do you ever look inside your toaster?  I do now:)

Savannah Skates

Yesterday Savannah had a home game, it was the championship game of a three day tournament.  Bemidji played Roseau.  Now Roseau is way up north on the Canadian border..those girls can really skate. The Bemidji gals did great. 

Savannah in charge of the puck..she has a black helmet. She is number 20.

She is an aggressive in your face player..the puck is the streak off to the left in the red circle.

At one point in the game she came on the ice..determined..the way she skated was different.  She had a purpose..that puck was going to be hers..she was going to own it.  Well she got possession of the puck and with what I described as “the precision of a stealth bomber” she skated through and gave it her best shot.

Savannah shoots and scores!!!  And I got this photo!!

The crowd erupts..and someone in the distance hollers “That is my Granddaughter!”  I am jumping up and down and I miss a few celebratory photos..as her team surrounds her.

Atta girl Savannah!!

 

I wanted to get another photo of her and her “point” on the scoreboard.

I finally managed an acceptable shot!  I think they should polish the scratches off their glass..

Sometimes Hockey is a rough sport..yes I captured a shot of her off her feet momentarily.  She was barely down and then back up again.

Savannah and Far Guy..the end score was 1-4.  Bemidji lost..but it was a good game…and a fun afternoon:) 

The Third Treasure

Last summer at Auntie Esther’s garage sale, Far Guy got three gifts from his cousins Bonnie and Jay.  Family treasures that have been passed down, from one generation to the next.  These items all come from his Great Great Grandfather..or in one of those confusing statements..his Fathers (Marvin), Fathers (James), Mothers (Martha Jane), Father (Xaver). Xaver was a tailor in Philadelphia before he settled into life as a farmer in Harrison County Iowa.

 

The first item on the left is a lunch pail.  I wrote about it back in August. The item out front was a mystery item that I wrote about in July..it is a hog scraper.  Now for that third little item in the back. 

It has a cover that fits quite tightly.. lets look inside.

The note says: This Button Can was Grand Father Aleck.  From this note we can date this button can earlier than 1860.

Inside the button can is another mystery.

I added my own note: No Idea what the REM-UMC 45-99 shell casing is from, it was in the button can.

It remains a mystery.  Perhaps someone found it..and with lack of a better place put it inside the button can. 

My Nephew Hunter who lives next door did some research for me:  The spent casing is from a Single Shot Winchester or Remington. The 45 is the diameter of the bullet, and the 99 means that in the old black powder rounds it would take 90 grains of black powder. This shell would have been from after 1912.

So we have items from all parts of Xavers life..a lunch pail that was either his or his childrens, a button can from his time as a tailor, and a hog scraper from his time as a farmer.

It is a pretty little button can, with a patina all its own.  I wish it had some buttons inside of it instead of an old mystery shell casing and two notes.  I can only imagine what a delight it must have been to open it when it was full of buttons…I would have put my hand right in and let the buttons run through my fingers:)

Kinda Like Christmas and Kindness

Even though the trees have been put back in their coffins till next year it still looks like Christmas every time you look outside.

Inside only the Nativity sets remain..today they will be retired to their boxes.  When the big tall tree went into the coffin..all the Shiny Brites didn’t fit. So off they went into the trunk. I will forget they are in there..so I wrote myself a note..saying “More can be found in the trunk!”and I threw that in the coffin.

I have been considering some thoughts to take into the New Year..some one word intentions..I think I have settled on “kindness.”  I will TRY to be kinder and more sensitive to other peoples needs. There are lots of dumb shits out there in the world..I should be kinder to them.

I thought about adding “eavesdropping” to the one word intention list..  Far Guy thought that if he was talking to someone on the phone and I was in the same room ..that I would know not only what he said but what the other person said too.  Like I am Wonder Woman with superior hearing.   Nope..eavesdropping did not make my list.  IF he thinks that I am going to eavesdrop on all his phone calls then he is nuts..oops..guess I should be kinder..he might be mistaken.

I thought about adding “patience”  and “communication”  to the list. Then I realized those are already things I try to practice everyday, but perhaps some other people I know would benefit from them..just a kind little idea of mine to share:)

Let’s Play Hockey

Back when Far Guy managed the local Hockey rink in the winter, I worked for him part time…especially during games..you need a few extra people that know how to move nets and someone that can answer questions and someone who knows how to change a roll of toilet paper in the ladies room. We have watched just a few youth Hockey games.  So much so that when the National Anthem is played at any event..when it ends we look at each other and say “Let’s Play Hockey!”

In the black helmets Paige and Madison

Our Grand Girls are all Hockey Players.  They are physically strong aggressive little girls..and are a bit..no maybe a lot in your face when they play hockey.

Paige

They are not the grab your hanky dab at your eyes kind of girls.

Recently we caught part of a game, both Madison and Paige are on the Girls 12 and Under team.  They won in overtime  3-2 it was a good game.

Paige

Madison

They have learned all about teamwork, and taking direction from being on a Hockey Team.  They have formed friendships with many other like minded little girls, they are very busy with practices, games and tournaments. 

Savannah is on a different team (14 and Under) and plays some Junior Varsity games now..we hope to get to one of her games before the season is over:) 

Thumb Report Thursday

I finally got to have the stitches removed from my thumb.  When I complained that my thumb was still hurting the PA explained that yes indeedy I have lots of arthritis in the base of my hand and thumb.   It may have been aggravated by the surgery..duh?  It may get better all by itself..it may get worse..I can have as many cortisone shots as necessary to keep me comfortable..or I can have a very painful long to recover from surgery where they take out some of the bone…NOT.

Right now I am just waiting for it to get better..there are certain things I cannot do.  WELL I can do them..but the motion sends shooting pains up my arm all the way to my shoulder..and that pain is exhausting.  Some things are simple motions..pulling on my boots..so I switch and do it with my left hand.  The one that I cannot seem to retrain myself to do occurs in my sleep..grasping the quilt and pulling it up..I am instantly awake.  Any grasping with my thumb will cause pain. I will just have to be inventive and learn to do things differently.

Yesterday I suffered through emptying the paper shredder.. twice..it has a very heavy top and it requires two good thumbs to empty it.  I was very busy cleaning out some old files..ALL BY MYSELF.  Someone who will remain nameless complained the day before that anyone that is a compulsive shredder should empty the shredder once in awhile.  That someone then emptied it..and got shred all over the floor. 

I can finally do my own hair again..no more Far Guy hair styles.  Far Guy offered to make it all easier for me..he would shave my head and we would match. He was grinning from ear to ear..a kind of evil smile.

This is the snow stick..it is at 21.  Steve (next door neighbor) asked last night what it was at..Far Guy and I both though it was at 23..nope it is still at 21.  Many people in our area say that we got way over a foot of snow in the last two snowstorms..our stick says eleven inches. It may not be a good indicator of the entire area..it is just meant to show us what is on the ground in our yard.

I took this on January 03, 2011.  It is a photo of a sundog that was visible through the clouds.  We get them in the winter..usually on really cold days. 

I can still use my camera..but I am thankful that it isn’t any heavier or larger than it is:)

Wistful Wednesday: 1965-1966

When I was 14 or 15 and my baby brother was 11 or 12, my Dad came home from working in Minneapolis/St. Paul one Friday night and he had a surprise for us. A Yamaha 50 Scooter/Motorbike..a 1965 or a 1966.

If I recall correctly it was supposed to be used to get us back and forth from the back field faster than a bicycle.

My baby brother and I had a blast with this little motorbike.  We learned hand signals and everything..they were all explained in the Owners Manual..which I read several times cover to cover. 

My baby brother was especially fond of this motorbike. I took this photo of him the year I took photography for a 4-H project.

I took Cathie one of my friends from High School for a spin. I will guess that Cathie’s Mom took this photo.

Having a motorbike was fun.. sure we got a few scrapes and cuts..and I used to burn my leg on the muffler regularly.  This little motorbikes top speed was about 35 miles per hour..plenty fast for me.

It would appear the my baby brother is revisiting his youth.  He called me the other day and said “Bought myself a Christmas present!”   I encouraged him to be careful and to always wear his helmet.

I did send him a email that said “Saw a guy that was in a motorcycle accident one day he had road rash all over his body..and he looked like one big scab..but he was alive thanks to his helmet.”

I wanted to say more..but I bit my tongue..like are you nuts? you are getting too old to revisit your youth..why didn’t you buy a flashy red convertible and a new hat?  ..did you know that machine weighs 957 pounds?  I should have encouraged him to stick to the back woods gravel roads..stay off the freeway..in Oregon there are more than one or two people on the road at the same time..instead I just said “Be Careful” big bossy sisters should just shut up sometimes. Besides that he looks happy!  Thank you to Mark K for the photos, I think he is part of that same over fifty searching for our youth motorcycle gang as my brother:)

Chance: Playing Hockey

I learned to play “Hockey” back in 2005 when I was just one year old.  The Grandgirls and their friends taught me the game in their garage in Nebraska.  They played with a tennis ball.

 

My position was mobile goalie, if the ball ended up under something or back in a corner..I was off like a flash to retrieve it.  I would bring it back into play by dropping it where the kids were waiting with their sticks ready for the face off. One Christmas I played so hard..I injured the pads on my feet..I was a pathetic mess..sometimes Border Collies don’t know enough to quit.  By the time I started to limp it was too late..and I was out of action for awhile..restricted to grassy areas only. Far Side can be real bossy sometimes.

This year I got a new hockey stick for Christmas..from the Grandgirls..now I have two sticks.  Just incase more than one child wants to play at a time..which is a very good possibility!

Far Guy and I play hockey..

I drop the ball near his stick.  This was last Thursday December 30, 2010..before the big blizzard. We have lots more snow now!

Far Guy tries to get the ball past me..sometimes he does.  Most of the time I am victorious..but I have to let him sneak a shot past me every once in awhile or he gets bored.

Didja know that Far Guy and I are best friends?

I wait patiently for someone to get the message that I need to play ball and run some of my Border Collie energy off.

Far Side does not usually play Hockey..even though girls can play.  Sometimes she can be persuaded to go outside with me after dark and play regular ball with me.. I put my head in her lap and sigh..she gets the message…if that doesn’t work..a short little whine makes me sound pathetic and gets a reaction. She usually says “Chance go wait by the door..I will be along shortly.”  Then if I think it has been too long of a wait..one little yip will get her attention.   She is getting really good at lobbing the ball in the air with her left hand..it was hard for her to throw anything with her right hand after the dumb thumb surgery:)