Woodcarving: Bark Carving In the Round

I took another woodcarving class.  This one is different.  Two pieces of bark are glued together and then you carve.  When you have it roughed in..you heat the piece up to soften the hot glue and take it apart..do your windows etc..and then glue it together again and finish it up. I know it sounds complicated.

It also helps if you are a person that sees in three dimensions..me not so much.

What do you see??

Well I saw a pine tree and a stone chimney.

Then on the other side a deck and a house.

Right now I am at a stand still with it.  The class is over, I missed one day of class because I had to work..but the instructor is available for questions anytime.  I am not sure that I enjoy carving on such a large piece of bark. My hand gets tired.  I will happily go back to my little houses.  This bark came from South Dakota, I picked out the lightest piece he had..heavy wood is harder to carve. Far Guy took the class too..I will show you his creation when it is done. I have no doubt that he will be done way before me:)

Wistful Wednesday: June 13

Far Guy’s Grandma Tracie loved a party.  She would be excited the entire week leading up to her birthday.  The Sunday closest to her birthday was the day everyone gathered at the farm and then years later at her apartment.

She was born on June 13, 1895 in Iowa.  Her parents were farmers. She rode horseback as a teenager..I think to visit her beau..(Grandpa).  He was almost six years older than she was.

A short time ago I finished transcribing her diaries from 1912 and 1913. She was 17 - 18 years old.

Tracie and Emma

She liked ice cream and popcorn, the phonograph, dancing and rides in autos.  She went to “Literary” and music lessons, she liked school plays.  She done up the housework..but never says much about what she did..swept and scrubbed woodwork and washed always on Mondays and ironed on Tuesdays.  She was always sewing a dress for someone. All that sewing she did..she must have been a good seamstress..( She birthed four boys..no little girls to sew for).  She adored her older sister Annie and spent time with her sister Emma.  She loved her brother Fred and liked to go to town with her Papa.  She got disgusted with the cold weather and nearly freezes to death on several occasions..at least that is what she reports to her diary.  She also reports all the comings and goings of her large family.  She was child number ten of fourteen.  She rarely calls her nieces and nephews by name..just Minnie ( her sister) and the kids came.  She helped hay, picked apples and shucked corn. She always wrote what time of night she went to bed…and usually went to bed extra early the next night when she had been out late. She almost always went to Sunday School on Sunday morning and to a Church service in the evening…often as a group with friends..and her beau (Grandpa).

June 13 1912

Fred went fishing.  Emma and I down to Aleck’s, Hazel and Leslie came home with us.  My birthday the kids tried to have a surprise party on me. It rained.  There were sixteen here.  Had a fine time. Got some nice presents.  To bed at 3.00.

June 13 1913

Ironed in the morn. Eva went home. My birthday, got a watch and a centerpiece.  Went to bed at 8.

One hundred years have passed since the first entries in her diary.  I have felt honored to transcribe her diaries.  And sad because I should have asked her more questions. Some days I wish there were more diaries..she married Grandpa in December of 1913 and they moved to Minnesota.  Far Guy’s Dad was born in 1914.  By then she was probably too busy to write in a diary!  ( Grandpa kept a diary about crops and the farm..I have not read it yet.)

Tracie and Emma in 1964 at their old farm place in Logan Iowa.

Grandma celebrated many birthdays during her long life.  She loved a house full of family everyday, but especially on her birthday.  I am not sure if you celebrate birthdays or death days in heaven..maybe everyday is a party day.  I hope so..many times she told me that when you get to heaven there is a big party:)

The Nest

Every year the Robins show up to claim Far Guys step ladder that is under the eave of his garage.  The nest is high and dry and most likely warm from the steel siding.  The Mama Robin has a view to the east and trees nearby.
She and he make a pretty big mess building their perfect nest. ( She does most of the nest building work)  This is their second nest full this summer.  The Mama Robin does most of the incubating of the eggs while the Papa Robin watches from a nearby tree.  They both work to feed the young once they have hatched.

The first babies fledged and in a few days ..these were found in the nest.

Four more eggs! Pretty little things!  Last year they raised three broods of young. You would think since we provide a great space for a nest the least they could do is show up in my yard first before going over to “she who sees robins first.”

Did you know that Robins can eat 14 FEET of worms in a day?  I am sure this little bit of information will come in handy someday. ( My Grand’s sometimes read my blog..I would like for them to learn something new everyday..so whoever reads this first and calls me and hollers “Grandma! Robins can eat fourteen feet of worms in a day” that Grand will win five bucks.) Update ***Adam called me at work and won the $5. 


I finally found a pattern for nesting boxes for Robins and Phoebes.  Far Guy is going to give it a whirl and try a couple on the east side of his garage.  Maybe they will use them and he will be able to use his step ladder during the summer again:)

The Lady’s Slipper

Minnesota has forty-two different kind of native orchids.  Two kinds are in bloom this week.  A week ahead of schedule. Usually they bloom Father’s Day weekend.

First the yellow Lady’s Slippers along the back drive bloomed.  Seven of them are blooming this year.

This gal is one of my favorite plants..yellow and beautiful.  Note she is all nestled up to a bunch of poison ivy.

We went to a flea market yesterday…along the way back we stopped in the rain to get a few photos.  The Showy Lady’s Slippers are in bloom.  This is the State flower of Minnesota.

They grow wild in the road side ditches.

It sure didn’t rain very much. The dry weather may have forced the Lady’s Slippers to bloom earlier than normal. Typical plant reaction..stress them and they bloom.. so they have their last hurrah before croaking.

We walked Chance through the Flea Market..he was a pill..barking at a little puppy.  He likes other dogs if he knows them..but if he doesn’t know them then he pretends to be a rough and tough I am bigger than you Border Collie ruff ruff. What a turd.

Far Guy bought a old station wagon toy car..most likely for his train set.  I bought nothing..I priced a few thing for the museum..like wire dress forms.  Uffda they are expensive.

It was a nice day off spent with my boys:)

Phlox and Museum News

The Wild Blue Phlox is blooming.  There are great patches of it along the highways. I took my photo on the back driveway in the shade.  This Phlox is a native perennial.

Usually there is no traffic..but Kate came home just as I stopped to take a photo.  So I had to stop and see the poison ivy kids at her place..the twins readily showed me their poison ivy spots.  Aubrey showed me the noise maker that she made in Vacation Bible School. Everyone threw the ball for Chance!

Seven weeks down at the museum and sixteen weeks to go to freedom.  Yes, I am counting the days. I am also getting a bit discouraged.  We have a BIG ta-do coming up.  An editor from a magazine is coming to visit the museum.  This next week everything that can be done will be done..Que sera sera.

I have no control over some things..like paint not being delivered when it was supposed to be. A huge cardboard box filled with barrier board that should be in display cabinets instead it is leaning against the desk in the Clerks Office..where in the world am I going to hide it??  Fishing equipment not hung up properly.  Painting’s waiting to be hung.  A thousand pounds of books that need to go up or down the stairs. Another hundred books that need to be accessioned in or boxed up.  A new computer needs to be hooked up…I guess I will need a new monitor also…something about new computers don’t have the same hook ups that old antique monitors have.  I have been saving everything off the old computer when it has been working ( in between the blue screens of death).  This is my first experience with a Flash Drive..but as long as I save what I can in Rich Text Format everything should be okay.  We got a grant from our local Electrical Cooperative for $1,000 for a computer and a printer and software…now I must stretch that to include a monitor..the printer may have to wait. Luckily my baby brother got us a deal on the computer so I have a little money to work with. Still..decisions need to be made…in the meantime I will dust yet again and hide some of the mess on my desk under the desk. 

The work days I have scheduled are becoming less popular..or ignored. So the bulk of the work falls to just a few..that is the part that is discouraging. Soon I will have my best Board Members all tuckered out.  I need more active members.  I will guess that the average age of one of my members is 70 years old.  I did get three new members this week..all in their 80’s.

Oh well..today is a day off. Que sera sera:)

Bird Pooped Plant

The mystery plant that appeared in Far Guy’s flower bed has been identified.  It is a pretty native perennial.

It finally bloomed and the identification was confirmed.

Penstemon grandiflorus or Large Beard-tongue. A lovely addition to the wild gardens.  I was glad to welcome this bird pooped addition!

Far Guy moved a hunk of Bluestem this week and he has been watering it since it is so warm.  It was a large clump that escaped into the rocks on the east side of the house.

The weather has turned warm. Temperatures are about 85 degrees F  (29 degrees C) during the day.  It cools off at night. Thank goodness:)

Chance: Warm Weather

Hiya!  It is me the blogging Border Collie!  The weather turned warm and sunny.  Me being a partly black dog and all..well I get a little warm.

Don’t I look cool?  Well it was okay..I may have looked cool but I was hot.

Far Side had the day off yesterday.  Far Guy works for her once a week and yesterday was the day!  Far Guy does lots of interesting stuff..Far Side not so much.  I got all exhausted watching her scurry around cleaning the bathroom and doing laundry..finally she came to her senses and said lets go to the lake and cool off.  Now you are talking!!!

One of the advantage of Far Side shoes is that it doesn’t matter if they get wet.  She FINALLY took one off and used it to fling water in the air for me to catch.  She sat on the dock swishing her tired aching feet in the cool water/flinging water in the air for me for a really long time.  Just me and her cooling off at the lake.

She made me rest a couple of times.  Then it was time to go home and pretend we had been cooking a gourmet meal all day long..we must have pulled it off cause when Far Guy came home he said “Supper sure smells good!” :)

Poison Ivy

It never fails.  I get Poison Ivy or Pi.  I have a few spots on my leg that are questionable.  I am using the Jewelweed Soap on them.   Absorbine Junior helps with the itch except when you scratch them..then it burns like fire..but a good feeling fire cause it burns out the itch.  Usually if I make it past the 4th of July I can avoid the really bad outbreaks.  Years ago I got the Pi shots and I could escape completely.  Since the idiots in the  FDA took them off the market I am resigned to the fact that I will have to suffer with at least one bad outbreak..maybe two.  Chance picks up Pi on his fur and shares.

We sprayed along our drive and property borders last night.  In Minnesota you are SUPPOSED to keep it under control along your driveway..where someone could inadvertently touch it. Let me tell you..in Minnesota we can grow some really tall Pi. We use Round Up on it for a quick kill.  I like to wait for a really warm day when the plants are working hard to photosynthesize and then hit them with Round up..the results are evident in a few days. I also like to wait for a day when I am really cranky..when killing something like Pi makes me feel better. I know I am a twisted sick old woman.

Poison Ivy is a specially regulated plant. This is what the Minnesota Department of Agriculture says about it:

Must be eradicated or controlled for public safety along rights-of-ways, trails, public accesses, business properties open to the public or on parts of lands where public access for business or commerce is granted. Must also be eradicated or controlled along property boarders when requested by adjoining landowners.

In my experience, you can dig it up..or you can kill it with Round Up. I have less chance of getting it standing back four feet with a sprayer:)

Wistful Wednesday: Little Dog named Tippy

This is just one of the old family photos I found in the trunk last winter.

 

This one is clearly marked.  Tommy and Tippy. That would be Far Guy’s cousin Tom H.  I think this photo was taken in about 1942.  So someone might be approaching seventy or seventy one.

A little boy and a small puppy, old photos don’t get much better than that.

The grass is long in many of the old photos.  People weren’t as fussy with their lawns. They were busy working in the fields and gardens trying to get enough food grown and put up to make the winter.  Maybe they cut it with a rotary mower if they could afford one.  Some people may have put their goats or sheep out to graze on the lawn. Now that is a win win situation mowing and fertilizing at the same time:)

In the yard

Far Guy’s Lilac finally bloomed.  I am not sure what kind of Lilac it is?  Could be a late Lilac. It has droopy flowers.  I am not sure where he got it from..it could have been one of the rejects from when we sold shrubs.

We need rain..it rained up north but not here.  It spit some rain..if you can even call it spit.

I bought this piece of garden art for Far Guy a number of years ago.  It is in his wild garden this year where some really strange things are growing. He has a plant I have never seen before.  As soon as it blooms I will take a photo of it. He says he didn’t plant it so a bird must have pooped the seed there:)

Taking your kids out to play

We drove up to visit Jen and Andy and the grand boys at their summer campsite.  They picked up two of the grand girls along the way..and we picked up the other grand and let her drive us to the campsite.  Savannah has her permit.   There is a reason I left all drivers education to Far Guy.  My brake foot gets all worn out.  We arrived safely.

We sat around under the trees in the light rain and had lunch ..then the sun came out.

A mama chipmunk ran through..and got Chance’s full attention.  He was on his leash.  Good thing too or there would have been orphan chippys.

Soon there was a big chippy and a little chippy.  The mama chipmunk brought out her babies to play.  One by one she got them out from under the dumpster lead them under our car then under the pontoon across the road into the safety of a deadfall (A tree that had fallen  down.)

Chance was very excited.

The mama watched in the upper branches whilst her babies played.  The babies were not very good climbers yet and often fell off into the brush.

Jen and I watched them for a long time. We are curious how the mama chippy “told” the first ones to stay put until she got back with everyone.  As she brought them out she ran in front of them and if they didn’t follow she would go back and touch them with her nose.

The whole family was out to play.

We played a game with the grands..called “What is yours like?”.  A clue is viewed by everyone except the guesser, then the guesser asks the others one by one “What is yours like?”  It was great fun with lots of giggling. 

We always enjoy an afternoon spent with all the grands..Far Guy and I need to buy some water rifles as a squirt gun fight broke out and we were unarmed:)

Chance: Allowance

Hiya!  Chance the Border Collie Blogger is reporting for blog duty!

It is a good thing that I get an allowance for blogging and being the best model around. Oh yes and my job at the museum..greeter extraordinaire!

Far Guy is in charge of my allowance and helps me spend it.  After all I am a dog and I don’t have a wallet or pockets to carry it in.

I am a wonderful shopper!  At least that is what Far Side says:)

American Redstarts

Chance and I watched the birds for quite some time yesterday.  We were relaxing..in between baking bread, doing laundry and catching up with housework.

This little American Redstart female put on quite a show.

She was bathing!

Water was flying all over.  She was so much fun to watch!

Chance played way too hard on Thursday with Josh, Anna, Megan and Frank.   Border Collies do not have an OFF switch..so by Thursday evening he was limping..but still chasing the ball.  Anyways ..Far Guy worked for me yesterday and Chance slept most of the day.  I think we both needed a relaxing day at home.. and the freshly baked flat bread was a real treat too!:)

June 01, 2012

Well lets get on with summer! We had brats on the grill, baked beans and raspberries for supper last night.  I wore my heavy fleece lined sweatshirt at work..it was not much above 55 degrees F in the museum.  I almost got my snow boots out of the closet and my parka is still there too. 

Far Guy’s Lilac is about to bloom.  Chance is sitting in the old sandy parking lot, if it rains some more the weeds will take over that area and it will be greener by fall.

It was a hard winter for the Lupines.  Without much snow cover many of them succumbed to the frost heaves.  Last year I had many Lupines.  This year I have lots of little seedlings that may bloom later in the summer. These blooms were a nice surprise!

The Oak leaves are expanding nicely after the last rain.  Another week and we will have the dense shade that is ten degrees cooler than in town.

Far Guy mowed the lawn twice in May. It almost froze the other morning.  We are thankful for the fireplace..it keeps the house warm and cozy.

I am feeling better as long as I get the rest I need. I have had this cold for 23 days now..I think I am over the cough ..the antibiotics must finally be working.  My chest wall is no longer inflamed because I can breathe without pain..so things are looking up! :)

Eighth Grade Graduation

On Wednesday morning Madison graduated from the eighth grade.  She attended a parochial school and next fall she will enter the public school system.

We were invited after the service to a wonderful brunch.  The kids decided on the menu.  Fruit, bacon, a waffle, hash browns, scrambled eggs, cinnamon and caramel rolls. It was delicious.

Richard, Madison and Trica (our oldest daughter)

Maddie is not as tall as her mother.  Maddie had four inch heels on..and her feet were sore.  She was quickly off to an afternoon of fun with her classmates.

Maddie had a good year.  She had some ups and down especially in Mathematics.  Mathematics is really hard for her…but she struggled through.  We are very proud of her.

She is a little apprehensive about entering High School in the Fall..she will know a few kids from Hockey, and her 20 classmates from St. Phillips..but she still has a fear that she will be in a class where she won’t know anyone.  Most likely a typical fear for a fourteen year old.

I had the day off..part of my two days off every month.  After the doings we stopped by a few antique shops :)

Wistful Wednesday: 1945

In  May of 1945 a little girl was born.  She would be Far Guys big sister but she didn’t know it yet. For almost five years she would be an only child.

Here she is in the summer of 1945 with her parents.  She is all bundled up with her hat on even though it looks like a warm Minnesota day.  Most likely she smells like baby powder.

Here she is with her baby brother ( Far Guy) in the summer of 1950.  She looks quite happy to have a baby brother:)

The Refuge

I felt good enough on Monday to go on a little trip through the local wildlife refuge.

We found some Yellow Lady's Slippers.

The little plant with the white plume is False Lily of the Valley.

We had not been to Tamarac Lake for a long time.

Only one boat was on the lake.

Chance enjoyed the water.

We kept throwing the stick further in the water..he was patient and waited for it to come closer to him.  He never actually swam..but he got awfully wet.

I am back to work today.  I am feeling better.  I am still sore but the knife stabbing pain is gone for now.  I discontinued the muscle relaxant that made me sleep for hours on end.  I don’t remember much of the three day weekend..I was in a bit of a pain filled fog.  I had so many things planned..and got very few of them accomplished. Oh well.

Today is the last day of school tours..59 kids are scheduled for today.  I also scheduled a work day for the Board Members, I am putting the action plan they wanted into motion:)