Pool Sharks

I think my youngest daughter is a pool shark.  I couldn’t remember how she learned to play pool..she reminded me that she played all the time in the recreation room at her grandparents resort.

She challenged her youngest son to a game, explaining the rules, showing him how to hold the stick.

It seems that Far Guy learned how to play pool in a real pool hall.   He helped Adam.

I have never learned to play pool, so I just took photos!

   

Jen and Adam visited us last weekend, we went out for supper for Mother’s Day.  Andy was chaperoning Noah’s sixth grade class trip to Minneapolis/St Paul.

Adam was very talkative..I think he enjoyed having his Mother all to himself and being an only child/grandchild for just a little while.

I gave him a quick tour of the museum..being a boy of course he liked all the gross stuff. His Mother said.. “Is that all you have here is gross stuff.”  I replied “No, but I know what little kids like.”  He liked the ghost story that isn’t even one of the museum attractions the best..typical kid:)

Wistful Wednesday : Sucker Spearing

Sometime very near the first of May in Minnesota sucker spearing opens. Suckers are small fish weighing 2 to 5 pounds.  The suckers leave the lakes and swim into the shallower small streams..why?  To spawn, to run the gauntlet of men in hip waders with spears.  If they survive they win a prize (two lucky males will fertilize one females 100,000 eggs) ..if not they are speared and thrown on shore, bleeding and flopping to be picked up by one of the lowly sucker spearing assistants without a spear..he will pick them up and put them in a gunny sack.  (For you city folks, a gunny sack is a loosely woven brown sack that held oats or corn or some kind of feed. If you were ever in a gunny sack race in the summer and you had shorts on, gunny sacks would make your legs all itchy.) The suckers are gutted out and sliced in half and then they are taken out back to some old refrigerator that has been turned into a smoker..after a prescribed amount of time in the smoker they are taken out and eaten.

Oh my there is nothing better than smoked suckers.  What a treat this used to be, the fish would be placed on a plate and everyone would dig in..it was a wonderful snack.  The flesh of the fish was pink on the outside and white and succulent on the inside and salty..you picked out the plentiful bones as you went…and piled them on the edge of the plate.  Just in case someone got a bone stuck in their throat there was usually bread with butter to help push the bone on through followed by a glass of water.

This is a very old photo, Far Guys Dad, Marvin is on the left.. we are not exactly sure who the other two boys are. ( I will guess that they are Jim and Ronald..but I may be wrong..I am sure the relatives will send me an email if I am in error.)   It was a successful trip, the two oldest must have speared and the youngest got to string them on a stringer.  I am just guessing that this photo would have been taken right around 1934. The smiles on their faces tell the whole story.  If there was one thing that these boys liked it was sucker spearing:)

What’s Up?

I had some time to look around in the yard yesterday.  I think Spring may have sprung for a few days at least. We will have a few nice days and then at the end of the week we are back to 50 degrees again…plus it is supposed to rain all week.

They are back!  We don’t eradicate them..their foliage is green. I love all yellow flowers!   When I was a kid, the rule was you could not go barefoot until the Dandelions were out.

This is my Fern Leaf Peony “ Larry’s Kindness.”  It made it through the winter and hopefully it will bloom this year! I will clip back last years stalks now that I know that it has survived.

If you look closely there are eight ..count them eight Yellow Lady Slipper shoots!!  I will not remove the leaf duff yet, it provides badly needed insulation on cool frosty mornings. I suppose I should pull a few of those weeds and chop off that wild raspberry.

Some of the brush is starting to bud out in the woods.  The tiny deer ticks are present in great numbers.  Too bad the birds don’t eat them.  I told Far Guy and Chance to go and buy some chickens, they could be chicken farmers for the summer.  Chickens eat ticks.

Something is eating my chives..that is no big loss, if they don’t flower they cannot go to seed and spread all over the place. It could be deer or it may be a bunny rabbit. Most everything I have in my wild gardens can survive a pruning by deer or rabbits..that is just the way it is:)

Curiosity Revisited : The Echo Ring

Last January I wrote about an Echo Ring.  Well it turns out that the echo ring I had in the photo was a bandstand. I was in error, I know I am not perfect..I make mistakes all the time. Here is the link to that blog post Curiosity: Echo Ring.

This is the REAL echo ring.

It is a Deane Park on top of the hill as you turn into the park area.  It is a stone structure with two “doorways” and a place in the center to stand.  The idea is this: someone stands in the center and whispers and anyone that is standing at the edge of the rock circle should be able to hear what was whispered.

As far as I can see, it needs minimal repairs.  The dollar figure that I heard was way out of line.  You see that is what fueled my curiosity..I read where someone suggested a complete repair of this structure for  a very large amount of money.  I couldn’t believe that any structure in this park was worth that much.

When I tried to find out more about this echo ring and the why’s and when’s..I hit a brick wall.   I am keeping one eye out for any information that the historical society may have.

Today is one of my days off:) 

Happy Mothers Day!

To all the Moms out there ..Happy Mothers Day!

Happy Mother’s Day to my Mom!

This is a picture of her before I made her a Mom.  She signed this fancy old photomat  photo “Me”.  But is it my Mom, I would know her anywhere.  This photo was taken in the late 1940’s..she was probably around 18 or 19.

She was very glamorous with what looks like bright red lipstick and a head full of finger waves. Before Moms were Moms they had time for makeup and fancy hair styles. Babies change all that.

Before you know it you are a Grandma..and then you are a Great Grandma.

This photo was probably taken In May of 1998..right around Mothers Day. A four generation photo.

Me, Trica, Savannah, Madison and My Mom:)  

Tired Feet

Yes, my feet have been getting just a little tired..and when they do I hobble over to this display and suddenly my fat little feet feel wonderful again. My toes are free as little birds and I can wiggle them all around inside my crocs!

I bet these would be even too pointy toed for Stacy..of the “What Not To Wear” show. What kind of weird deformed toes would fit in there anyway..my feet and my fat little toes would be screaming after just a minute or two in these torture shoes..and then to walk in those heels all lady like without tripping over my own feet..now that would be a challenge:)

Stupid Owl

This is one of my feathered friends at work.

He doesn’t see to be affected by the cold, although he is dead, perhaps that makes the difference.  He is on the wall between the main entry foyer and the Heritage Room.  I think he needs a name..any suggestions?   He doesn’t actually have “horns” but his ear tufts can give him the appearance of horns.  My bird book says he is heavily barred underneath..that must be the almost striped appearance..and that he should have a very conspicuous white throat bib..indeed he does.

This is why I think he was a little on the stupid side..but perhaps it was a really hard winter with lots of snow and not many little critters running around for meals.  He would have eaten just about anything that moved mice, rats, voles, rabbits, skunks, squirrels, bats, frogs, toads, fish and weasels.  He will also eat song birds, ducks, geese and yes even an occasional kitty cat..for those of you who let your kittahs out of the house.  He hunts usually at dawn and at dusk.  He is normally a food hoarder and will have a stash..but apparently this one forgot to read the Owl handbook.  He is very common in this area..and can in fact be seen in most of North America..from just south of the Arctic Tundra to South America.

I have to speak with Bill on Monday.  Bill is a Taxidermist that carves with us.  He gave Far Guy and I excellent advice on how to care for our deer mount. I will have to pick his brain about the correct care for feathered mounts.

To answer some of your questions.  The small antique electric heater I have is near my desk..not under it because there is hardly room for my feet.  It takes a long time for the room to warm up, and if I am off in some other part of the Museum I turn it off.  They gave me two antique heaters..I am afraid if I plugged them both in..I would be without electricity for a little while.  There is no air conditioning, but they have assured me that they will bring me a fan, as they do not want the windows opened.

I have eight bosses…and they come in and out throughout the day..each one with different instructions, needs and wants. I am a people juggler.

I am familiarizing myself with the entire building..exploring on my own and cleaning out the office.  Yesterday I did inventory in the gift shop, between interruptions and phone calls. Oh yes, the five phones..they all ring at once, it is just one phone with four extensions throughout the building..and two of them do not work.  I think they need new batteries..and I still cannot figure out the answering machine…but neither can any of my bosses:)

My Office

I have never been so cold in my entire life.  I have a small electric heater..but the ten foot ceilings make even my small office hard to heat.  My part of the building is not heated. Our weather has been cold..with highs barely 60 degrees. The first day I wore my hooded sweatshirt all day long..and my snow boots.

Some brave souls have been by to visit the Historical Museum.  They say “It is so cold in here, how do you stand it?”  In my opinion they should not be open yet…but what do I know. I know that if I keep moving, I stay warm..it is when I sit still that I get cold.

The Art Museum upstairs has some heat for their fine art collections.  Their heat does not make it to my level or to the basement..or to the dungeon that is a half a flight of stairs below the basement. I have not been upstairs to the Art Museum yet.

It is a historical old building, it is on the list.   I can hear the sounds of the Art Directors high heels as she walks back and forth upstairs.  Click, click, and then many clicks in rapid succession. My snow boots are silent compared to her stiletto heels. 

I finally got my computer desk organized. I don’t have ink for the printer but I have a nice view out the window. I miss my desk at home..my slide out keyboard, my large monitor..my telephone that I can retrieve messages from..I am still searching for the manual for their answering machine. There are five telephones in the building.. what fun for me. Three computers, two printers, a microfiche machine..and a security camera. 

 

If it is warmer outside than inside..one of those benches is where I have my lunch:)

Wistful Wednesday : Cookies, Cakes and Ice Cold Drinks

When I was little it was a real treat to go visiting.  We went to Roy and Lorraine's just a little ways down the road, they were our next door neighbors in the country. They had two children, both older than me.

This is Lorraine, she made me many birthday cakes, and what was so great about her cakes is that she made two of them..a big one to share and a little one that was all yours.  This photo was taken at our farm when I was four years old in 1955. She must have been very busy baking cakes..as her husband Roy and I shared the same birthday.

Lorraine always had cookies..always. What goes better with cookies in the summertime than a cold, icy drink. Now not everyone had ice cubes..ice cubes were lots of work. The refrigerators had room for one ice cube tray...maybe two if you were really lucky.  So you had to be on top of the ice making at all times. 

  Lorraine had a set of aluminum glasses very similar to these.  She had jewel colors..I remember asking for the ruby red glass and the sapphire blue glass. When it was handed to you, the glass was very cold..you could hold it up to your cheek and feel the cold. The outside of the glass would get all wet as the glass warmed up.

These glasses were made by Color Craft of Indianapolis, Indiana.  I bought these at an Antique Shop over the weekend. I will serve some Kool-aid to the Grands this summer in these old glasses that have many good memories associated with them:)    

A Hobby Gone Wild

Far Guy has  only a few hobbies. He makes “stuff” for me..like custom built furniture and cabinets and he enjoys woodcarving..and knife making, at least before he tried to cut his finger off.  He now has a special glove and he can grasp with his fingers for a short time..not long…he carved a bit yesterday at our carving get together.

Saturday we went to St Cloud to The Granite City Train Show.  Talk about a packed place.  Far Guy knew what he wanted..I picked out a few things for him..some old Marx light towers..and some plastic brown telephone poles. I am all about the accessories.  He walked by one table and said “I used to have this car as a kid. I think we blew it up with firecrackers and it accidently started on fire so it had a hole melted in it.”  For ten bucks he is back in business with that car again.

The building was wall to wall people and it was hard to walk..I was scanning the building for emergency exits..so I went outside and sat down for awhile. I had fun talking to the “train guys” outside having their lunch at a picnic table.  They oohed and ahhed when they found out that my husband has his trains upstairs..they were both basement dwellers.

When I returned inside I finished looking at the tables that I missed. I noticed Far Guy way over in the next aisle…checking out his billfold..counting.  I knew he had two things that he wanted, a Scrambler..and I knew he didn’t have that much money on him.  The other thing I had no hope that he would ever find..but he did.

 

It is a Lionel 1958 Desoto Rail Inspection Car..yes siree he wiped out his entire stash, and was grinning from ear to ear.  It was a great find.  He set his train off the track to run this baby around solo..it is a beauty.

He started out with one small shelf along this wall a few years back. Last year he designed and built this cabinet to house the extra cars that were not running on the track…it is now full.

He has been busy fixing and repairing all winter, the helicopter car is fully operational now.  The car carrier is filled with little cars, the hospital car is white again, and the missile car is loaded with missiles, the crane car works, and all the flat cars are loaded.

He “thinks” he may have enough train “stuff” for awhile. He did say that he has some doubles..and maybe he should get a table at next years train show and sell some of his duplicates. I think he should just build another cabinet to go on another wall.  His hobby certainly has developed..into a hobby gone wild:) 

May 02 Still Snowing

It is still snowing, it snowed again during the night.  It is very cold, the North wind howls like a banshee.  I have to wear socks with my crocs or my snow boots.  It is May..my daughter called it “the seventh month of winter”..she really knows how to cheer me up. 

This is Chance and the snow this morning. Welcome to Minnesota.  I bet the snow birds are just a bitching..most of them are back..I bet they are all half frozen..golfing must really suck in a blizzard.

We went for a ride yesterday..

Two Turkeys were running through Steve and Jo’s pasture.  We saw two turkeys, a deer, a Canada Goose, a Bald Eagle, and a few Robins pecking sand in the road.  We heard that a Mountain Lion has been sighted and that he/she took down and killed one of the neighbors horses..scary..who eats horse meat when venison is available? 

All the May Day Baskets were delivered…all the children were smiling.

Aubrey

This is a special smile....from a special girl.  Aubrey has another recheck with the Surgeons this month, to re-evaluate her palate.  Her speech is getting much better, either that or we are getting used to her speech.  She goes to speech help twice a week. We all appreciate her smile..something that we took for granted before her birth.  One out of every 600 children born is born with a cleft lip and or palate. Aubrey is my Great Niece and she lives next door:)

Snowy May Days 1954 and 2011

I like May Day.  It should be a Holiday..it is USUALLY warmer May 1st..warmer than say Halloween or Valentines Day.  May Day should be promoted by someone besides me. Perhaps you can mention it to a non May Day person..or better yet take them a May Basket..it is not too late..you have the rest of the day.

Lets look at May Day 1954..I was a very tall 2 years and 8 months old. My baby brother was just a little over a month old, way to little to be outside in the snow.

I have seven May Baskets..I bet I can tell you who they are from. Danny and Karen, Corrine and Rhonda, Barry and Sharon, Becky, Dora, Grace, and Ella…all neighbors.

That is my dog in the background..My parents cannot remember his name..I think it was Frosty..because he was white. My maternal Grandparents always saw to it that I had a dog.

It snowed that May Day. It snowed last night.

The wind is blowing and the snow is stacking up on the ground..so far it is not melting. Winter has returned. I have had it with winter..I could take the rain..but the snow is fairly depressing.

I want spring..and I want it now!  This is what spring should look like…

This is the picture tree that is in the old black and white photo. It is a Honeysuckle.  Barb has Lupines and Iris planted nearby. After all these years the picture tree still retains its haphazard form.

The tree is older than me.  It is still in the yard at the farm. With the same hedge of lilacs in the background…they will all bloom in late May or early June if it ever stops snowing.

The fragrance of the Honeysuckle blooms will attract every bee in the area..I will look up at the blooms again..just like when I was a little girl.

Happy May Day and Happy Birthday to Hunter who lives next door..he is thirty something now:)

All for the birds

Far Guy has been hearing the Loons since Wednesday the 27th of April. I have not heard them yet..it was way too windy to hear anything yesterday except for the wind rushing through the barren trees.

Our acquaintance Larry has the Loon Cam up and running again. I put up a link off to the left of my blog. The Loons are building a nest in preparation for laying the eggs!

Here are a few birds that are in our yard this week.

A Downey Woodpecker

A female Cardinal!!  We were both very excited to see her, our neighbors have been reporting that they have Cardinals..we have never had one in our yard before..so it was quite an event! 

This is one of our new feeders..the Downey Woodpecker likes to hang on it upside down.

We fill this feeder almost everyday, some of the seeds end up on the ground for the Juncos and the fat squirrel. I have been noticing some fresh rabbit sign..so we are feeding the entire neighborhood.

This is a very happy Pine Siskin. They arrived last weekend along with the Purple Finches.

Far Guy put up another bird bath so that the birds would have more fresh water..they like to drink water out of Chances Coffee Can..and of course Chance shares.

We enjoy watching the birds especially this time of year when the bird populations change so much.  We still have Juncos, Nuthatches and Chickadees visiting the feeders:)