Wistful Wednesday : 1917

I always wondered who was in this old photo.  From reading the old farm diaries and from other old photos I finally have a really good guess. Sadly the diaries from the early part of 1917 are missing.

This is the old barn at the farm.

James X., Marvin (Far Guy’s Dad), Tracie, Francis, Mattie, Bill and Bryan.  Mattie and Bill are the parents of Francis, he was an only child born in 1914 the same year as Marvin. Mattie was James X. sister and Bryan was their brother.  Bryan worked at different farms in the Osage area in 1916 and 1917 ( perhaps longer than that).  I always thought Bryan lived in Iowa…the diaries are proving some of those assumptions have been in error.

Mattie and Bill lived in Harrison County Iowa until 1939 when they moved to Tekamah.

So in 1917 they would visit Minnesota from Iowa.  How would they travel?  By train?  No it looks like it was a road trip.  What an adventure that must have been.

Francis and Marvin (right) cousins born in 1914.  Francis in October and Marvin in August.  From the smiles it looks like they were fast friends!   These boys would become men who were friends their entire lives.  Francis died in 1981 and Marvin in 1994.

I am slow in getting diary entries transcribed lately.  It is a work in progress.  Here is a peek into farm life in 1917.

July 1917

19 Thursday Sprayed potatoes finished hog fence, set post west of the barn.  Gave Maurice Robinson music lesson

20 Friday Finished fence by barn, post holes in pasture fence, sawed posts

21 Saturday Set posts, hoed cabbage, plowed beans

Snow flurries and a Full Moon

Yes, we had snow flurries several times yesterday.  It didn’t stay on the ground but the white crap was in the air.  It was cold and the wind  blew and blew…it was just bitter outside.

After dark I wandered out in the yard looking at the full moon.  The camera settings should be good if I am still awake for the blood moon that is supposed to appear in the middle of the night.

Hopefully I will get a photo to show you what the Blood Moon looked like here in Minnesnowda.

If not here is the snow headed our way. What looks like fog or smoke in the air is snow. 

I thought about putting my parka away.  I did manage to put my good snow boots away…no use in getting them all muddy/wet…I have an old pair with a patched toe to wear for everyday and of course my old standby crocs with socks!  Someday when that look goes down the Paris Runway I will be in fashion.

Saw Lorri (a friend) yesterday she was rushing the season with capris and flip flops.  I am always amazed at the women who can walk and sometimes even run in flip flops.  I am certain if I tried that I would end up in the home with something broken.

My best shot of the Blood Moon.  What a night…froze my butt off and fingers too.  There were some high clouds that flitted in and out, forgot my flashlight at the house, came in to warm up twice.  It was interesting to watch…I was outside from 2:30 to 4AM.  This was taken closer to 4AM as it was starting to go back to normal.  I am off to sleep now…good thing I have another chance in the fall for a better photograph.

Cabin Fever

The weather turned colder and cabin fever returned. 

We HAD to get out and about.  There are a limited number of antique shops open in the area.  We headed north to Bemidji for a huge indoor garage sale.

This is my 50 cent candle holder.  Not certain what I will do with it.  It was filthy..so I washed it!  We won’t talk about the other three or four that I have.

I  am a box hoarder.  Big boxes, little boxes, hat boxes any kind of decorative container and I am a goner.

This is a homemade wooden box.  Someone named Liz painted it in 1982. The inside is as pretty as the outside.

It has one small imperfection…see that pin hole in the blue coat?  I can live with it!  This wooden box will probably hold Christmas Ornaments.

I saved a few more old photos at an antique shop and Far Guy bought a transformer for one of his trains.  We are anxiously waiting for warmer weather in May and June when we can frequent the garage sales…not that we need anything else.  We can also get ready for a garage sale of our own!  We haven’t had a garage sale in four or five years, it is a great way to visit with the neighbors.

Chance: Missouri Lake

Hiya!  It’s me the blogging Border Collie!  It is finally spring here, my hairy feet have been trimmed but I still carry in a fair amount of sand.  Far Side says she can tell where ever I lay because it is a beach.

One day I was upset with them…they left me at home all alone…and the beach appeared on the bed.

We have been going for more rides.  I love rides.

This is Missouri Lake, there is a CCC marker there that is important to Far Guy’s Family History.  I heard them say that we get to go back and explore one of the Forest Trails after the snow melts in the woods and before the Skeeters and Deer Flies show up.

I can’t play ball as long now, they say I am getting older.  My oldest sister’s husband said the F word…FAT.  Far Side said I shoulda peed on his leg…but we were inside.

Every day I play ball just a few more times a day or for a longer time and I go for my long walk every morning. It couldn’t be those wonderful pumpkin flavored treats that Far Guy bakes for me all healthy with the rice flour.  It might be that I am a real champion at getting double treats…you know first one gives me a treat and then the other…cause they both love me. 

Robin, Paige,TaDa and Hockey

One little Robin is frequenting the yard.  

Usually they make a nest on the east side of Far Guy’s garage invariably on top of a wooden ladder that leans against the garage or behind the rakes and shovels.

Far Guy made them a nesting platform.  It will be interesting to see if they use it.  It’s not much to look at…an old shelf bracket and a piece of wood, but it is sturdy.  He described it to me as a “Nesting platform with it’s own perch.”

We had an ice cream date with Paige this week, it was too windy to sit outside and enjoy frozen Lake Bemidji while we ate ice cream so we just sat in the car…Chance thought that was great, he sat in between Paige and Maddie.  You know it’s spring when all the Dairy Queens open.  Other people may take DQ’s for granted…not us people in Minnesota!

Paige’s 15 year old photo.

Paige is attending a Hockey Skills School, she was a little nervous. Right now she is a level one going for a level two…I told her to stop being nervous and just skate her best. Paige really enjoys Ice Hockey.

We have a new little addition to our family.  My baby brother called, he has a new Granddaughter in Oregon.  Mother and baby are doing just fine! As of yet the baby remains unnamed so my brother is calling her “TaDa”  this is grandchild number three for him.  Number four is due next month.

The Sioux/North Dakota lost Thursday night to Minnesota…it was a tense game…especially the last period.  We are Sioux fans but we now will root for Minnesota to win the Frozen Four!  Hockey Season is just about over.  As for the riots in the cities…you riot because you won how stupid is that?

 

Early Spring Wildlife

We went for a ride after supper on a wonderfully warm evening.  As it turns out we were not the only ones out.  These were all photos taken within 3 miles of home.

One duck at the dead beaver area, there were more but they flew off into the sun.

Two Swans on Guyles Lake, we called them early squatters because there is no open water yet.  Usually Guyles Lake has two set of Swans.  We decided they had a long flight and were resting out on the ice safe from predators.

Six Wild Turkeys in the shadows of the Smoky Hills.

Six Deer down by the creek on Ashley’s Road.

 

A gaggle of Canada Geese in Steve and Jo’s cornfield sparkling in the evening sun.

We also saw three pair of Trumpeter Swans in Donnie’s corn field and two deer (one a huge buck…we could tell by the way he was walking) in the opening by my parents old resort and five or six more deer on the edge of the Canada Geese cornfield.

It was a great wildlife ride. 

Snow stick Winner and a Robin

April 8 was a very warm day with a breeze that melted snow to beat the band.

I kept checking throughout the day.

By evening Chance declared it snow free!
The winner is Terri @Backward B Ranch who guessed April 7th.  Congratulations Terri!
Recently I finished a few more carvings.

I painted them just the other day.

This is the one I chose to send to Terri. It will be in the mail soon.
Now for the rest of you.  We will leave the snow stick in place and if it gets more than three inches of snow we will restart the contest with the same guesses.  Your guess can be found here.  It is Minnesnowda after all, spring can disappear any moment in a snowstorm.
A Robin appeared in our yard on April 9th in the evening.

It was way high up in a tree.  Eventually after calling and calling it took off toward the lake.  We usually have a pair that nest here, perhaps one of them is late arriving.  I am certain that “She who sees robins first” has already had robins in her yard.  I will graciously let her win this year because she had surgery on her arm yesterday.  My other baby brother is taking good care of her. 

Wistful Wednesday: Paige

Paige was born 15 years ago yesterday.  The littlest sister in her family..the baby.

Recently we reminded Miss Paige that when she was little she cried a lot.  Savannah kept track and Paige cried about 60 times in just one day.  Savannah says now that maybe she put down two hash marks on the fridge when it should have been just one.  Sisters.

Another time we were babysitting in Nebraska whilst the parents went on vacation.  As soon as their Mom walked into the kitchen Miss Paige pushed Grandpa toward the garage saying “You can leave now.”

Everyone had a big laugh about the time I had Paige in Dick’s  Grocery Store In Elkhorn…she wanted something and when I said no she started hollering “You are not my Mom!”  Every time she screamed that at the top of her lungs.  I would say loudly “I am your Grandma and you have to listen to me.” Quietly I would say “Paige be quiet.” By the grace of God the Police were not called. 

She is fearless and will try just about anything once.  This was in 2006, she would have been 7 years old.  We all went on a houseboat trip way up north.  The houseboat had a upper deck slide.

Here she is with the houseboat.  All of the children had a blast fishing, playing in the water and exploring the many islands of Lake Namakan and Lake Kabetogama.

The first day of school in 2007.  This is the year that Paige began playing Hockey.

Paige playing Hockey 2013-2014.

Paige avoids my camera as much as she can and usually closes her eyes or makes faces.   Since I took this photo she cut her long locks and donated them.

Fifteen…it seems like it happened so fast.  I heard that she took her permit to drive test on her birthday and of course she passed.  All this from the little girl that drove her fire engine down the steps and broke her leg when she was about 2 years old.

Happy Birthday Paige!

Warmer Weather and Broken Crap

The snow is melting!  We are all pleased as punch and happier than pigs in slop.

Melt faster!

I had a roast in the oven the other day and my oven went bonkers, switching on and off beeping..like it was possessed.   Since then I have baked some cinnamon rolls  with no problems.  Far Guy says it might be a relay switch or a sensor.  Haven’t called the repair man yet.  Maybe it fixed itself!

I lost a crown, luckily I felt it fall off and captured it with my tongue before I swallowed it…that would have been a crappy retrieval.  $49 for cement and a Dentist to repair the damn thing.

Direct TV sucks.  After three months of repairs after repairs we gave up and now have basic cable through our Internet Provider.  It was installed on both televisions.  I will miss my east and west coast feeds and New York and LA exciting news.  We still enjoy our Roku and Netflix.  I am glad to have that pain in the neck Direct TV behind us. 

Far Guy’s garage door went ballistic and the raising/lowering arm busted off.  It had a fight with some ice and lost.  He was able to fix it. 

We are wondering what will break next…troubles come in threes and we are waiting for the next two events with great anticipation.

I am not sure that we can count poor Chance.  Last week when I got home from the cities he immediately showed me he had a sore eye.  He communicated by looking at me and pawing at his eye.  I checked it out and he had a stye. Luckily we had the ointment on hand, he still has the stye but it is much smaller and  he doesn’t seem bothered by it…but he sits nicely and lets me look at it a couple of times a day.  I will continue the ointment until the stye is gone.  It is his right eye.   He has had several styes before..but I am not certain that I noted which eye.

Cousin’s Gathering

The girl cousins on my Dad’s side of the family have been hosting a family picnic during the summer.  Attendance has been dwindling the past couple of years.  We decided to try a get together in April this year…yesterday was the day.  We planned a brunch for after church.  Gluten Free egg bakes (we have a number of Celiac sufferers) sausages, ham, cinnamon rolls, caramel rolls, gluten free muffins and juice and coffee were on the menu.

The turn out was not great …there were 32 of us.  We still had a good time.   We gave away a quilt and table decorations.  My parents won the quilt.

Dad and Mom April 6, 2014

This was my contribution to the quilt.  I cross stitched this a number of years ago. We have no more quilts in the works…although I think we have two quilts ready to go should a family member have a house fire.  I have one upstairs and someone else has another one. I hope those quilts are never used.

This was a beautiful  Non Stop Appleblossom Begonia that Aunt Lila won.   I can appreciate these blooms, I used to grow them in the greenhouse and always marveled at their beautiful blooms.  The Non Stop Series of Begonias is hard to beat.

Aunt Lila, Aunt Grace, Aunt Sharon, Aunt Anna and my parents are the remnant of the oldest generation and all were in attendance.  Eighteen have gone on to heaven and six remain… we are thankful that the six were all well enough to join us. 

It was another beautiful day! The snow is melting fast! 

We might have a winner this week!

Saturday Activities

Funeral, wedding reception and birthday party.  Life goes on one gathering after another.   It made for a full day and time enough for an afternoon nap.

Gary’s funeral was well attended.  Many of Far Guy’s classmates were there, some who he had not seen in years.  Barb told us “I am just numb and I am so lonely.”  47 plus years with the same person and that is bound to happen.  Gary was 65.  There were so many people there that we didn’t stay for the typical Minnesota Funeral Lunch of hotdish, Jell-O of every color and pickles.

At the funeral the fellow sitting behind me was ill, he coughed and coughed.  I am not sure why sick people just don’t send their regards…or come to the church to pay their respects and leave and take their germs with them.   I am certain I flinched every time he coughed, half way through the service I was tempted to count his coughs.

I saw my first casket that will head for cremation.  It was a covered with a blue damask fabric.  You would think that Funeral Homes would rent a coffin for the service…a big fancy one with metallic fleck paint…one of those expensive jobbies.  Many times you just see the Urn and a photograph.  

One of my many second cousins was married in a private ceremony late in the afternoon.  We were invited to the reception and dance.  The music was so loud it was hard to visit  and the thumping of the base stirred up Far Guys Trigeminal Neuralgia…so we didn’t stay long.  Wedding cake, nuts, Hershey Kisses, coffee and punch were served.

It was much calmer at the birthday party for Great Nephew Mason who turned nine.  Of course there was more food, fried fish (fresh caught), salad and then birthday cake and ice cream.

It was a warm day with the thermometer reaching 49 F here or 9 C.  The snow is melting fast! 

Just ducky

I had a chance to photograph some ducks recently.   They are fun to watch, Chance likes to watch them too!

  A Mallard lady duck had a real attitude…I think it may go something like this.

Been a long winter hasn’t it?

ACK!! I am sick and tired and tired and sick of winter and snow and cold.  ACK!!

I feel much better now!

Snow and Swans

It snowed a little more.  It snows and melts and repeats daily.  Not exactly spring like.

The snow stick is stable at 9 inches.

We went for a ride.  Trumpeter Swans, Canada Geese, Wild Turkeys and Sandhill Cranes are visiting the cornfields.  Very little water is open for them. 

You can almost play “find the swans” in this photo.

 

The Monday blizzard went north of us, and the one predicted for Friday is supposed to go south of us…we must be incredibly lucky.