Bad Medicine Lake

I knew that this marker existed someplace.  It is in the upper parking lot of the north public access.  We found it one day this spring.  Chance seems to know when I need him for a photo op!

Sometimes you can drive by these markers all the time and never really see them.

Bad Medicine Lake is one of the most beautiful lakes in Minnesota. 

The Laurentian Divide is very near the historical marker.  North of this spot the water in rivers empties into Hudson Bay and the Artic Ocean, south of here water empties into the Mississippi River and flows south to the Gulf of Mexico.

Bad Medicine Lake has no inlet or outlet, it is spring fed.

Bad Medicine Lake also called the Lake of the Valley, was originally known to the Ojibway Indians as Ga-wimbadjiwegameq (Lake lying in a mountain depression).  Among the many stories about the  name’s origin are legends of serpentine fish and monster pike that dwelt in the blue-green depths.

Bad Medicine is one of the clearest and least polluted lakes in Minnesota.  It is entirely spring fed and has no inlet or outlet.  The Laurentian Divide separating the Hudson Bay and Mississippi watersheds crosses Minnesota Highway 113 about one and one half miles west of this marker.

Between 1904 and 1918 the Nichols-Chisholm Lumber Company cut most of the majestic White and Norway Pine stands that surrounded the lake.  The pine logs were hauled to Commonwealth Landing on Elbow Lake, and from there they were carried in massive spring drives down the Ottertail River to the company mill at Frazee.  Old Headquarters logging camp, near Long Lost Lake, was the hub of and extensive network of standard gauge railroad lines used to haul the logs.  The outlines of rotting ties still mark the locations of the railway beds in surrounding forests.  Blackened stumps and fire scarred pines are mute reminders of the huge forest fires of 1918 which followed the logging operations.

Erected by the residents of Bad Medicine Lake  1985

The lake itself has about five miles of shoreline and covers about 800 acres.

Birds and feathers

It seems like I am seeing a new bird everyday. 

Yesterdays bird was very pretty.

I think it is a Cape May Warbler…just passing through to his summer home in the North.

He was nice enough to show me his very golden yellow belly.

Some of the neighborhood kids were over for a visit.  I think I bored them with bird names.  Mason thought “butter butts” was a way cool nickname for the Yellow Rumped Warblers. 

“Butter Butts”

Mason peeked into the Robins nest for me..there are three eggs.  I held the ladder whilst he climbed up. 

Far Guy and I sat outside for quite a long time yesterday…watching birds and working on Christmas ornaments.  It was nice to be outside in the sunshine! 

We took the feather pillows in to be re-ticked and cleaned.  A church in town was having a fundraiser, a fellow from Willmar Minnesota was there with his feather cleaning truck.  I always ask if I will get my own feathers back…he said yes of course minus the dust.  I have two feather pillows that were a wedding gifts from my Maternal Grandparents…my Grandmother saved feathers and down for those pillows. It probably isn’t important to anyone but me.

First Wildflowers

Last night we saw the first wildflowers to bloom in our area.

Cowslips or Marsh Marigolds or Caltha palustris.  They are heavy in bud and if it ever warms up they should be full of blooms.  These are down on Ashley’s road at the creek.

Higher up we found some Prairie Buttercups.

Ranunculus rhomboideus pretty little tiny things that seem to be blooming right out of the grass.

It is encouraging to see some wildflowers blooming, even though we have had downright freezing weather at night.

I heard that the bears are out of hibernation and hungry.  One made a visit about 6 miles south of us and destroyed bird feeders.

It was a quiet week for us…keeping things low key so Far Guy could get better.  I worked in the kitchen cleaning cupboards and on rummage sale stuff and even managed some entries in the 1918 Farm Diary.  I have several other projects in the works…nothing is finished yet…of course.  We were even plumbers one day as the kitchen sink drain had a leak.  Such is life in the fast lane of retirement.

Chance: A Checkup

Hiya it is I the blogging Border Collie!  I went to the Vet and had my yearly checkup!  Far Guy was feeling good enough to come along…we think he has turned the corner now thanks to excellent nursing care by you know who and ME!

I am doing just fine, I have a little arthritis in my left front leg…but my other legs are perfect!  I still have the Stye in my right eye, as long as it doesn’t bother me all the time they are just going to let it be…if it starts bothering me and doesn’t respond to the eye ointment I will have to have surgery…eww. 

Far Side said I needed that expensive 65 smackeroos blood test to make sure I didn’t have Lymes or any of the other tick diseases…or Heartworm.  All my tests were negative.  It hurt a little when they took the blood out of my leg, and my eyes got big and pleading looking.  Far Side wanted to know without a doubt that it really is arthritis in my front leg and not Lymes…so she is happy now.  Well not happy that I have arthritis..just happy I don’t have tick diseases.

I am already taking a bone shaped pill once a day called Cosequin to help old joints.  Barney in Iowa takes the same pill..he is an older Border Collie too.

My teeth look pretty good for an old guy.  They can tell I sometimes play with tennis balls…I have an assortment of soft rubber balls but I do like me a tennis ball!

I am looking good for being almost ten years old.  I am nine years and seven months old.  That means I have caught up with my owners ages…no wonder we all enjoy a nap in the afternoon.

Far Side brushed me real good.  I hope she is happy now.  She said “Cross Chance off the list.”

I am doing my part to help out the birds.

Rainy and Cold

Time outside was limited yesterday.  It was raining off and on and cold.  There were freeze warnings for last night and tonight.  Anyone that forgets their hanging baskets outside will have to buy new ones.

For now the birds are entertaining.

A Rose-Breasted Grosbeak.  He is very handsome.

AND now for his female counterpart who is very shy…I stalked her for a long time.

Here she is …she got the short end of the stick…and is fairly dowdy compared to her mate.  She is sitting on the branch that holds our outdoor sensor for the thermometer.

A Harris’ Sparrow stopped by to rest and recoup.

I love his black head, I have not seen this Sparrow in our yard before..we must be lucky this year.

Side view of Mr. Harris’ Sparrow  he will head on North for the summer…way North!

While in town I bought a new feeder for the Orioles and they are sharing sometimes not so happily with the Yellow-Rumped Warblers.

This feeder hold an orange, and has a container for sugar water…Far Guy mixed 2 cups of water and 1/3 cup sugar boiled it, cooled it and filled the bottom part of the feeder.  This feeder also has little dishes that hold grape jelly.  Emphasis on little..as they don’t hold much jelly.  I have another feeder out there that has larger containers for jelly and a spot for two oranges. 

The Yellow Rumped Warblers like the suet feeders.

 

Here the little Goldfinch is giving them the business.  Yes, we have a safety pin..that discourages the Ravens from opening the suet cage…they haven’t figured out how to undo a safety pin…yet.

Update on Far Guy:  He was started on a different antibiotic.  He has acute bronchitis. If it is bacterial he should respond soon, if it is viral it could take weeks.  He is resting mostly because he is exhausted from coughing, I goad him into moving around some and using one of those deep breathing thingys and he is using the nebulizer.  Short of hospitalization…I am doing what I can to help him get better one day at a time.

Many people in the area have had this whatever..starts with a tickly throat, then a cough and then a head/chest cold with a temperature and body aches.  Far Guy had it and was over it and relapsed.  So far I have avoided it.

Wistful Wednesday: Pine Springs and Mowing

Years ago 1986 to 1995 we owned a small fishing resort.  It had eight cottages and a campground.  Far Guy worked in Fargo and commuted 92 miles one way 184 miles everyday.  I ran the resort. The girls were in 9th grade and 6th grade when we moved them out of the city to the boonies.

Mowing was a big deal.  The grounds had to be well groomed.  The girls spent a fair amount of time on the mower..as did I.

We had an old Toro riding mower that was almost worthless.  Sometimes it ran and sometimes it didn’t.  Of course we had a push mower too.   The hillside was a bugger and was best mowed by making downhill  attacks and then circling around to the top of the hill again and again.  Far Guy would mow it sitting half on and half off the tractor seat.

Mowing was best done on turnover day which was Saturday or when everyone was out fishing or off to town.  I was known for trying to drive up power poles.  I tried to drive up trees too…especially the two times I was in a cast..once from a surgery and once for broken bones in my foot.  Sometimes I would take off to mow without my crutches…one time I ran out of gas and crawled to one of the docks.  The girls never noticed that I was missing, the dogs kept me company until Far Guy came home and asked “Where is your Mother?”

One year I had it with old junky mowers.  I called Far Guy and said I was going to drive that Toro off the dock into the lake.  He said “You better not, someone will fine you for polluting the lake.”

I went to the bank and got a loan for a new riding mower.  I think I needed $1,200 to purchase it.  I had to see the loan officer ( he and I graduated from high school together).  He asked me what I had for collateral other than projected income from the resort.  I said “I have a 1985 Ford Bronco II and two registered Shetland Sheepdogs.”  He wanted to know what Far Guy had too.. I said “Wait a minute, I am the one that wants the loan. Whatever his income is doesn’t count.”  I got the loan, and paid it off in three months.   Cash flow is sometimes a problem with a summer business. 

Mulching blades, electric start…it was a real honey of a mower.  It had a leaf bagger attachment and every fall I would spend at least 7 days picking up leaves.

The resort is private property now, one fellow lives there.  The cottages have all been sold and moved elsewhere.  Now we live just a half a mile down the road.

The Robins

The Robins have finally decided to make a nest.  One day there was no activity and a few days later..viola a nest!

For those of you that have followed my blog a long time, the nest is not on the ladder this year!  The Robins took the hint and built on the platform that Far Guy made for them.  He was lamenting it one day…saying maybe it should have had sides or maybe it could have been bigger.  Well the ladder doesn’t have sides and the ladder isn’t very big either.

A piece of wood and an old shelf bracket seems to have worked just fine.

Far Guys garage has a huge overhang…so that makes it a nice dry warm spot to have a nest.  In this photo you can see the ladder that was once a nesting spot and the spot where the shovels and rakes are hung along this wall which was sometimes the chosen spot.  That is an old greenhouse in the background which is now a woodshop/workshop warm place to work in spring and fall or chilly summer days.

It rained almost all day yesterday.  Chance and I were out in the rain several times.

Chance was my co-pilot for grocery shopping and errands in town…he put his window down and hung his head out in the rain.  We bought a new birdbath that we hastily put together in the rain, it ain’t perfect..we will fix it proper when it stops raining.  The rain is cold..but at least it isn’t snow!

Bird Time

The stop off and rest birds are starting to show up at the feeders. 

We hosted a Blue Jay convention yesterday morning.  I took this photo out the window.

Later in the day the Goldfinches started to arrive.

They remind me of bits of sunshine with wings.

The Orioles have arrived, but not in mass like last year… it is still early.  Grape jelly and oranges await them.  The best I can tell there are five or six males.

We see flashes of blue every now and again.  We think the Bluebirds are here.

We saw one in the neighborhood.

Everyday brings different birds to Minnesota…it is a wonderful time of year!

Far Guy is still sick, his fever is back.  Hopefully his medication will kick in soon.  We stayed home yesterday…we can go out for a Mother’s Day Dinner some other day.

Happy Mother’s Day!

This is the card I sent my Mom on Mother’s Day.  This was taken around Mother’s Day in 1952.  Her first Mother’s Day 62 years ago.

My parents are on vacation hopefully the card will catch up with her.

This is Far Guy and his Mom in 1953.  She died in 2006 at the age of 92.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mom’s out there!

Chance: Someone is sick

Hiya!  It’s me Chance the blogging Border Collie.

Far Guy went to the Doctor and got three bottles of pills.  Guess someone was right when she said he better get his butt into the Doctor.  He has a fever and a bad cough that keeps him us awake all night.

I am just fine.  It’s not catchy is it?  Must not be… Far Side is just fine…she did join us for one nap time but that was because of the coughing all night business…it was hard to listen to and hard to sleep through.  She must have had a really good nap cause she drooled on her pillow and everything…just a little…a very ladylike drool…not at all like a drippy dog drool that leaves a puddle on the floor.

I go out to play ball with Far Side when she says it is time to go out…then I go back to my spot.

Just incase someone wakes up and wants to scratch my back or rub my belly. 

We had Chicken Soup and fresh flatbread for supper last night and Far Guy is taking all his pills and drinking juice until he says “It is sloshing around in my stomach, how much more do you want me to drink?”   Far Side says he might be a tad cranky…but he is on his way to getting all better.

Busy, Busy

I don’t know where the days go.  Time seems to fly right by and before you know it the day is over.

I managed to get the Living Room spring cleaned, it wasn’t on my list but it just needed to be done. Some days are like that around here.  I flit from project to project never finishing anything…but the Living Room is done!

Far Guy has a bad cold  AGAIN.  I think it is a secondary infection from the cold he had a few weeks ago. I  strongly suggested he go in to see his Doctor.  He probably needs a round of antibiotics to get over it.   But what do I know?  I guess if he wants to suffer along trying to get better all by himself then when he fails I will drag him to the ER.  A Doctors Office visit should be no big deal when you are sick… the ageing can go from just a little sick to really sick in a couple of hours.  I want him to get better so we can do fun stuff. 

We had a nice afternoon up at Itasca State Park.  I have been in the park over the past few years but not to the new Visitor’s Center.

This is quite an improvement over the old Visitor’s Center that one was in a  log building and always seemed dark inside. I am not certain when this new building was finished.

They have a couple of really nice gliders for relaxing!

They still have the afternoon cruises on Lake Itasca and I want to return for lunch someday.  We have a season pass and it is only about 30 miles from our home.  I want to see the Lady Slippers in bloom.   Sunrise at the Headwaters would be just perfect too.  Just a few things on my retirement list!

CCC Camp Lake Itasca

We have some Memorabilia from the Lake Itasca Camp.

February 10 1936.  It was –52 F or –47C

This is a patch from Lake Itasca CCC the 3701 st

There are two companies called 3701.  One is inside the park with Co. 1785 and one is just outside the park with Co. 1764.

We think that Far Guy’s Dad Marvin was at Co. 3701 Co. 1764 just outside the park in 1936.  The other CCC Camp was established in 1938.

So off we went to locate the old camp.  We took a gravel road and spotted some fellows planting trees.   We asked if they knew where the old CCC Camp was?  One said “We only come up once in awhile so where that camp is would just be a guess on my part…BUT go talk to Dorothy my aunt, tell her Lyle sent you.”

We had a lovely visit with Dorothy. She was Minnesota Nice!!  It turns out that she moved to this farm in 1940.  The CCC Camp was gone, only the foundations remained.  The Camp was right on her farm.  She reminisced about how her children loved to play fort and look for relics over in the pasture.  One time they were certain they found some Indian Burial Grounds because of the bones they found…turned out they were beef bones buried near where the Cook Shack was.  Dorothy has lived there for a a gazillion years according to her nephew Lyle..it is really only 74 years.  Her husband died two years ago.  When I asked if I could take her picture she said “Sure but your camera will probably break.”

Out in the pasture where that Oak Tree is was where the old CCC Camp Company 3701 and Company 1764 were.  This old camp is right along Highway 200 on the North Side of the road…at Dorothy’s place.

So this part of our adventure is complete.  We still need to measure the mileage for the other CCC Camp down on the Hanna Ore Road and take some photos before all the leaves come on. 

We have shared the Lake Itasca Old Photo and the Patch with a fellow who is writing a book about Itasca State Park, the book is due out this spring.   I helped him gather info for his research last summer.