Wistful Wednesday: Little Girls

When the girls were little they were much easier to take care of.  Bandages for the owies that bled and kisses for all the other ones.  A cuddle with a blankie in a chair and being rocked until they went to sleep.

I think my husband is a better picture taker nowadays. He barely got Trica in the photo, I am holding Jennifer.  This was taken the day my Grandparents D. celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary…1978 maybe.

Jennifer had the surgery to remove the kidney stone that was causing her so much misery.   She is very uncomfortable, we are trying our best to make her feel better.  It will just take some time to recuperate.  If you knew my youngest daughter you would soon realize that patience is not her greatest virtue… but she is trying:)

Snow

It has spit snow the past few days.  Just enough to help the deer hunters track deer. 

Just enough snow for Chance to run around scraping up the slushy snow in his mouth.  Chance likes the snow, he is invigorated by it and loves to wake us up early in the morning just so he can sit outside and watch the sun come up.

There is not enough snow to begin to use the snow stick yet.

The deer reports are good, both my Father and brother had good luck over the weekend.

The Waterfowl were really active near Crookston Minnesota yesterday.  They must have been resting after their trek out of Canada.  This is only part of a huge flock flying east…to a couple of ponds and corn fields for an overnight visit.  I think there must be a huge flyway in the Crookston area as I have seen Canada Geese in that area before.  I think that these are Canada Geese but I am not sure…waterfowl for sure:)

Veteran’s Day 2013

Thanks to all out there who have served in the Armed Forces.  A special thank you to my husband!

Far Guy was in the Air Force and in The North Dakota Air National Guard for 26 years.  This photograph was taken in 1978 when he was part of a load crew that was in an International Competition called William Tell sponsored by NORAD.

We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would harm us. – George Orwell

Stone Makers

I am a stone maker.  So are my daughters.  It is a very painful thing to pass on to your children.  I drink lemonade every day to keep my PH at a level that won’t make stones and I drink lots of water. 

Kidney Stones are no fun.  People in the Midwest are more prone to them than any other people in the country.

Jen is attempting to pass a 6mm stone. She has been to the ER and they sent her home to see if she can pass it on her own.  The stone left her kidney on Friday and it is on it’s way to her bladder. That is a pretty big stone.  I am not sure she can do it on her own.  We wait.  Our bags are packed and we are ready to go if needed.

I remember the pain of my first stone like it was yesterday.  I would have preferred to birth half a dozen babies.   I was lucky I was able to pass all of my stones by myself.  Only one episode involved a hospital stay, and since I am not a model patient they were glad to see me go home.

I hope Jen can avoid surgery and a hospital stay.  Please say a prayer for her and think positive thoughts.  If you wish to leave her a get well message here is the link to her blog East Side Professor:)

Girl’s Ice Hockey

Two of the Grand girls play Ice Hockey.  Savannah is a Senior this year and Paige is a Freshman.  They are both on the Varsity team.

Last night was their first game.

Savannah and Paige in the players box.

Paige on the ice, she got some ice time or “reps” …you can tell I do not know the finer points of Hockey.  I watch for the girls to jump out of the players box and then I see what kind of photos I can get.

Paige and the puck.   Paige is a really good player, she was younger when she started playing…I think she was in first or second grade when she began playing.  She had some real good coaches who taught her the hockey skills she needed for a really good foundation in girls hockey.

 

Savannah on the right and another teammate.

Savannah is a very aggressive player.  Can you see the puck in between the hockey sticks on top of that yellow board?  She got a little ice time..not much.  She was primed and ready to play.  She was discouraged. We encouraged her, the season has just begun.  They lost their first game 4-0.  Kinda a bummer for them all.

It was snowy when we left home, the snow was melting and then sticking to the roads, by the time we made it to Bemidji several inches of snow had accumulated and the roads were slick.  It was a slow trip there and a slow trip back home, we saw one car in the ditch…not bad for as slippery as it was.

It was good to watch the girls play.  We stayed to visit with them after the game.  It is always nice to get those hugs:)

Cleaning Up Projects

One day I cleared out the entire fridge and cupboards of all the containers that were beyond their expiration dates.  Far Guy is allergic to anything that might start to ferment naturally…he begins projectile vomiting and wishes he was dead.  He and I consumed some older expired salsa that the seal was questionable on, I was fine..yup you guessed it… he was in the bathroom all night long.  Have you checked your expiration dates lately?

Another day Far Guy turned the computer chairs upside down and we cleaned off the “stuff” mainly somedogs hair from around the wheels.  The chairs were not gliding along the floor so much anymore..now they glide with the greatest of ease..you can slide the chair across the room with one finger.  We sat at the table and cleared wheels with a tweezers and a scissors.  I won’t say there was a mountain of hair and threads..but it was a big pile.  Do you get hair in your computer chairs wheels?  Have you looked?

Do you carry Lysol Wipes in your car?  We do just incase someone we see looks sick.  Do you disinfect your grocery cart before you load it with groceries?   We do…most stores provide the disinfectant wipes and I use them to wipe down the entire grocery cart. Are we germaphobes?   I have a clean side and a dirty side in my kitchen..never the twain shall meet…and if they do, out come the Lysol Wipes. ( Cross contamination drives me nuts.)  I have a cutting board just for chicken…nothing else gets cut on it…and after it is used I wash it about three times.  I also have a special cutting board for fruit. I keep things on my kitchen counters to a minimum.  I don’t like working around mail or a phone or fru fru on the kitchen counters.

Recently we switched from a dish rag..the nasty germy things to Bounty Duratowels that are supposed to be 3 times cleaner than a dish rag.  Daughter Jen uses a dish brush perhaps one of those is worth a try. 

Now for the big question.  Have you replaced those batteries in your smoke alarms and Carbon Monoxide detectors?   Far Guy bought a new Carbon Monoxide detector for the furnace/laundry room.  He also replaced every battery in all the other alarms and tested them all.  I know the batteries might be good for another six months…but what if they aren’t?  What if they don’t chirp?  What if I am gone from the house for a few days when they have chirped and I miss it?  If I change the batteries at the time change every spring and fall then I can rest assured that they will work if needed:)

Frosty leaves November 6 2013

Pain in the neck

My sleep is all messed up.  My dreams are strange: In one I bought a new house on the lake and the neighbors wouldn’t get off MY dock… I had to kick them off the dock and sit there so they wouldn’t come back and I was getting hungry and tired and I didn’t have my camera.  In another I wandered around picking up dog poop.  In another I had so many ottomans/footstools in the house that I had them in every room..oh maybe I already do…but I had more and some were really ugly. 

We washed some windows yesterday.  Someone wanted to just wash the paw prints off the outsides.  Someone else wanted them squeaky clean for winter…like clean the tracks out with Q Tips and everything. 

I had an encounter where someone was not very nice to me…in fact they were downright mean.   I was still polite.  Just because someone else is mean, I don’t have to be mean in return.  However it was a struggle for me.  I wanted to be like my Aunt Marie and just verbally castrate them.

The Post Office in Ponsford was closed yesterday.  Not sure why..perhaps it was closed permanently.  I hope not as it is my favorite Post Office.  There were no signs on the door, the doors were just locked.  Strange.

We drove out to Shell Lake.

Parts of the lake had ice.  There were a bunch of ducks swimming and flying around.  Do you see that dark area off to the right?  That would be a Wild Rice bed.

  I am not positive what kind of duck…possibly a Bufflehead.

The daylight ends before I am ready.  The dog is still confused.  It gets dark at 5 PM.

Yup that is ice alright.   It was wonderful to see the sun.  These dreary November days are mainly cloudy and grey…so a day of sunshine should be celebrated.  One day of sunshine for every five days of dreary.

Tension…stress…who knows but I have a pain in my neck that settles down under my left shoulder blade. By evening I am shot. Maybe it was the raking, or maybe I slept wrong. The cold weather seems to agitate it further. Maybe it is still the Lymes settling into a different area of my body. Maybe it is the freaking flu shot. Maybe I am just O.L.D. Whatever it is I wish it would go away.

Far Guy is still recovering from his oral surgery.  He lost all the sutures. He wanted me to look at the big gaping hole in his mouth, I said “No Thanks.”  He swishes with salt water many times a day.  He still has pain but little by little he is recovering:) 

Wistful Wednesday : Cousins and Veterans

Since my Dad comes from such a large family(he was number 10 of 14)  I have lots of cousins. 

When I look through the old photos every week for one to feature you never can tell which one will strike my fancy. 

This week two of my cousins had birthdays and I just happened upon an old photo of them.

The littlest guy in front was 67 and his older sister was 75, they share the same birthday.

My Uncle Jalmer and Aunt Jenny had four children.  The baseball hat cousin on the left is Chuckie ( we wood carve with him every week), Gerald (last week he was married for 50 years), Arthur the littlest one in the front and Evelyn the oldest. This photo was most likely taken in the spring of 1948 maybe 1949.

Another reason for featuring this photo is that Veteran’s Day is approaching.  All three of these boys were in the Armed Forces.

 

 

 

Art stayed in the Armed Forces a lot longer than his brothers.

They all came back home, married and had families and are enjoying being grandparents.

So I have cousins that are veterans, it is who they are…honorable men that defended our country.  Thanks guys!  They are some of my bestest cousins:)

Wood Carving: Lady Slipper

During the winter we go to Wood Carving every week.  It is mainly men, but sometimes a few women show up.  Most of the carvers are retired, all are very talented.  If you are struggling with something someone is bound to have a suggestion.

Far Guy was working on a Lady Slipper to donate to a Silent Auction for a fundraiser. Then he had surgery and didn’t think he would be able to finish in time.  I helped him one afternoon and together we got er done.  I have carved one before, Far Guy has carved several. 

I sanded and carved a bit, Far Guy put all the pieces together and cut out the base, then I painted and applied a bees wax finish. 

There are five separate pieces in the stem and leaves.  The stem is an actual twig that is stripped of its bark and sanded smooth.

 

There are another five pieces in the flower.

My wrinkly old paint speckled fingers will give you an idea of the size.

Here is the stem in the base awaiting a flower.   The wood is all Aspen or Populus deltoids or Popple or as I call it “Piss Popple.”   If used for firewood it weeps out the ends the entire time it is burning.

Here it is all done.  I think it is a work of art!

It was delivered in plenty of time for the Silent Auction.   Far Guy is a very generous  person to make something for almost every fundraiser in the area.  We didn’t know this young man with pancreatic cancer, but we know other members of his family. We live in a small community that pulls together to help out others when their situations seem overwhelming:)

Take the time

Did you take the time to change the batteries in your smoke alarms?  I have put it on Far Guys list.  I don’t care if the batteries last longer than six months…replace them anyway…you are worth it.

I pushed back a whole bunch of leaves that were still in the west part of the yard trapped amongst the trees.  Just incase there is a spring forest fire.   The raking is done!

Chance helped, he likes to herd leaves.  The weather was lovely on Saturday, not so much on Sunday, when it was warm but really, really windy.

I think I have mulched leaves in the yard for the last time.  Woo Hoo!  Cross it off the list!

The front yard is still green and parts of it were mowed along with the mulching.  It is unreal to have growing green grass this time of year.

I am working on the prototype for the Christmas Ornament.   I hope I have all the kinks worked out…we will see.

The Milkweed is going to seed.  If you watch closely it catches the late afternoon sun and almost glows.   I was happy to see the sun for the past few days..a more than welcome sight.

Guyles Lake is once again full of water, three Swans were hanging out on the far side.  The wind did a number on the Tamaracks…they are almost done showing their golden fall color.

Take some time for batteries, completing projects and enjoying the last bit of Fall and whatever sunshine comes your way:)

November is upon us

Spring ahead and Fall back.  Uffda.  I detest the time change.  It takes my body a week or more to adjust.  I will have to schedule lots of naps this week so I am not cranky.  How can it be November already?  I just want time to stand still for a bit…and a few weeks of Indian Summer.   

We got our flu shots on Friday.  The nurse was hesitant to inject my gluteus maximus..it qualifies it is a muscle… I pointed and said “Here this is a great spot. How can you miss such a large target?”

We headed North for a few days.  Jen asked her Dad to go to a Hockey Game (Sioux or more correctly North Dakota vs St Cloud…they lost.)  We did some shopping…there is a brand new Hobby Lobby in Grand Forks. I bought craft paint and some cardstock and an assortment of paint brushes just incase I am moved to begin a project or two I will have the supplies on hand.  Jen also introduced me to Bed Bath and Beyond.  If you have to shop that is a way cool store.  I bought coffee and some chocolate.

I bought one Christmas gift..so now that total is four…I am crusin’.

I also bought Chance a super dooper ball launcher..a K-9 Kannon!

I think the grand boys will be more excited about playing with the dogs if they can shoot something into the air.  We will see.

Little Elvis, Miney and Chance.

The tall ones are getting taller.

They are growing like weeds.  The tallest is learning how to cook a bit.  His Mother very patiently showed him how to make his own grilled cheese sandwich.  I gave him a few pointers…like when my pan is too hot and my sandwich is in danger of burning and my cheese didn’t get all melty a few seconds in the microwave will melt practically anything:)

Outhouse

Some days we just have to get out of the house.  One day we managed to travel about 20 miles into the boonies to an estate sale.  It was located just off a forest service road…or the end of one.  Much of the land had been clear cut.  It must have been a beautiful forest one day and will be again …in time.  Finally after meeting several cars on a barely one lane two track road we arrived. 

The estate sale had lots of “guy stuff.”  I bought an blue speckled enamel pot with a lid…nothing special.  We visited with the folks there.  I tried on a Shotgun for size..Far Guy laughed when I shouldered the gun…the barrel was way too long for me.

They had a new fangled outhouse complete with a vent.  I asked if I could take a photo and they said “Yes, but be sure to get a photo of the inside too!”

A cushioned seat with a view.  The windows had screens, fancy smancy.   There were even curtain rods for curtains. It was a fine out house.

I grew up using an outhouse, we didn’t get an indoor bathroom until I was in the third grade.  This one looks like the Taj Mahal of outhouses:)

 

Eleven Goblins

We have left over candy.  I am always afraid some new kids will find us here back in the woods.

A monkey who should have been a bear.  His name is Teddy…maybe next year.

A witch, Jason ( a bad guy) and a pink crayon

A warrior (I think a Dragon Warrior), a Ninja, and a kitty.

A snow princess, a witch, a bee and a lamb.

Are you a good witch or a bad witch?  She had to think on that question for a bit.

The kitty showing off her tail.

They were a bunch of smiling happy kids having a great time.  Chance enjoyed all the company and so did we:)

Chance : The Halloween Hat

A few years ago Far Side bought a witches hat and a Halloween scarf.   Fine I will wear the stupid scarf…she is supposed to wear the hat since she is more witchy than me.

Not yesterday, she wanted me to wear the hat AND the scarf.  Fine but hurry up…I don’t have all day…I have squirrels to chase and balls to herd.

Good enough…what do you mean you didn’t get the whole hat?  How can you blame your photographic ineptitude on me?  I am just a dog. 

Far Guy is a traitor.

Wadda ya mean put my nose down?

Off with the ****hat.

I should rip it to shreds.

Are you happy now you got the whole **** hat?

Such ends the saga of the hat.  I wore it, she got her picture. She won…again.

We have loads of chocolate all bagged up for the kids that will come by later.  I am not allowed to have chocolate.  But I am allowed to have my picture taken with all the kids.  I love company and my wagger will be working overtime.  Stay tuned for pictures tomorrow!

Oh ya…Happy Halloween have some chocolate for me:)