3 out of 7 isn't bad

 Out of the last seven days we have been at the clinic's, ER and hospital four days.  One day we did a clinic and the hospital, one day we did a clinic and the ER for blood work because his heart rate was high and his blood pressure was really low and he was dizzy, one day was Infusion and an Echo, one day was in the hospital. So three days we got to be at home...Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday were the free days.  It could have been worse.  ( His Echo was good!) His hospital Doctor stopped by the ER  to tell him that good news. 

Next week I know he has appointments for two days...so we will see what happens next...always an adventure. 

I am mostly done with the big sort upstairs.  Big sigh of relief...I have some organizing to do up there and some putting away, dusting and cleaning.  I have "stuff" for my siblings to pick up.  Progress has been slow but the rainy days helped...not much to do outside yet. 

My new stove is still not hooked up...I need an HVAC guy to hook up the downdraft fan...the duct work will be different from my last Jenn-air.  We have not used the stove, it still sits where the delivery people set it... JUST in case the stove has to be returned.  I have called the HVAC guy twice....the last time I left a message saying if you cannot come let me know.  We are making do with the crock pot, air fryer and the microwave.  Last night we went to town for supper...it was prom night so lots of good looking kids eating in the same place. 

A photo of the clouds one day coming home from town. 

I took photos of two lost dogs, one of the dogs was listed on facebook as missing...apparently they are runners.  One was quite fierce, the other friendly with one blue eye and one brown eye.  Someone isn't taking very good care of their dogs...just saying. 

Far Side

Book Club: May

We read and discussed Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan. 

I enjoyed the bee keeping aspect of the novel, the rest of it was just okay, I give it a six out of ten stars. 

Although the book is not about Mad Honey itself.  I was curious about it. 

 A plant by the name of Rhododendron ponticum grows in Nepal and Turkey. The bees gather the nectar from the Rhododendron flowers, the flowers contain a neurotoxin called grayanotoxin that is transferred to the hive and the honey. The honey can be toxic or hallucinogenic depending on the amount ingested. It was most likely the first biological weapon, the Persians left it behind for the Roman army waited a bit and then slaughtered them because they were too sick to fight back. 

Who knew?  You can legally purchase it in the United States...I saw it for sale on Amazon.  

Far Side

All about May Day

 I have been celebrating May Day for about 71 years.  

It is very simple, you make a small basket out of rolled up paper or a paper cup, decorate it how ever you wish, make a handle, tuck candy or flowers inside the basket.  Take them to a neighbor or friends home, hang them on the door or set them by the door, knock on the door and say Happy May Day!  Then run away so they cannot catch you and kiss you! 

My Mother used to help us make May Baskets and then we would get in the car and drive to all the neighbors delivering baskets.  The baskets were held in muffin tins or cake pans for easy transport...it was us kids job to hold the tins and pans steady while she drove.  We would deliver the May Baskets and run back to the car. 

A neighbor by the name of Jim Mack told me that when he was a little boy...in the 1930's after evening chores his Mom Mary had treats ready (usually cookies) to put in baskets that they made.  He would walk down to Far Guy's Grandparents farm, trying to be sneaky and leave the basket unnoticed.  He said  Far Guy's Grandmother Meade would come out of the house her apron flying running after him.  He told me he would never forget that image of her running after him! 

It is a great way to celebrate Spring!  Far Guy says" No matter how many times he tripped and fell down running away from a girls house...they never caught him with a kiss." 

Me and my May Baskets in 1954, that was my dog Frosty in the background.  Yes we can still have snow here in Minnesota in May.

Happy Kids that we delivered May Baskets to yesterday...one day late but the kids still smiled! 

These are my niece Stacey's children. 

This is Lola's second May Day...looks like it made her smile too! 

So that is May Day in a nutshell.  I know not many people celebrate May Day anymore...but I do!  Such a simple way to make a few people smile:)

Far Side

May basket delivery

 Last night we went for a Ranger Blue ride to deliver May Baskets to neighbors.  We have some to deliver to in town children today.  It was a nice evening for a ride. 

Only one May Basket had to be hung on a bag from the door. 

Opie and Teeter barked at us ...the horses paid no attention. 

Fun to see that our area is greening up after the rains. 

Hope you all had a fun May Day! 

Far Side

May Baskets 2024

 I finished the May Baskets last night most will get delivered today and a few tomorrow. 

Most everyone guessed correctly!  Sheep!

They turned out pretty cute! 

 I got Far Guy out of the hospital in the afternoon and we got home just in time for the delivery of our new stove.  The delivery people do not connect anything.  The HVAC guy will be here today to see if he can make the connections for the vent work...if not I will call the store and have them come for an undelivery. 

Far Guy is doing so so...he felt great in the hospital...coming home he is up and about a bit more so he doesn't feel so great.  The goal is to keep a fluid level without shortness of breath and swelling feet. Sounds simple enough but it is a fine balancing act.  He lost six pounds overnight in the hospital. 

One day at a time.  Hopefully we will get the stove situation taken care of and then perhaps we can be quiet and calm for a couple of weeks. 

Far Side

Tune Up

 Just like old cars, older men need a bit of a tune up from time to time. Far Guy has too much fluid in his system, so he is getting a bit of help getting rid of it in the hospital.  It may just be a 24 hour stay...we have to see if his breathing improves. They are doing a few tests. So it depends on the results. 

He is in good hands, I was with him most of yesterday.  

The rain is very welcome.  Things are  finally turning a bit green.

Far Side

Paper mess

 I have taken over the dining room table with my May Basket project.  It is a real putzy project. 

We had a quiet day, Far Guy had two naps.  I made scalloped potatoes to take over to my baby brothers, he was smoking a brisket...it cooked for 14 hours and then 2 hours resting. It was delicious!  We also had veggies and gluten free banana bread to go with ice cream with a chokecherry syrup topping! 

It rained in the afternoon and evening and I did a little laundry besides making the paper mess.

Can you guess which animal will be featured on my May Basket this year?

Far Side

Baby Pictures

 This week I made it to the bottom of a crate filled with photographs.  My Mom always liked displaying our baby photos, first on the table in the living room, then in a knick knack shelf that was built in at the farm.  Later she put them up on the wall.  They have been on display in some room or another for  over 72 years.   One after another she added to the collection; 1951,1954, 1960 and 1966. 

Here we all are.  We are all about six months old in the photos...just sitting up by ourselves...some better than others.

I took my other baby brothers to him last night.  I will take my baby brothers to him today.  My Mom also displayed our High School Graduation photos and our Wedding photos.  My sister's photo will be added to the ongoing pile of things I have for her. 

Far Side

No Blue Sky

 We had rain all day yesterday.  No blue skies or jet trails or aircraft sparkling in the sunlight. 

April showers bring May flowers or so they say.  We are thankful for the rain as everything is real dry here,  the chances of wildfire are high.  Looks like it may rain a few days. 

We ran an errand to town, Far Guy needed some special gasket for his old car Tilly.  I needed  wanted some different paper for May Baskets. We both accomplished our tasks. 

Yes it is May Day next Wednesday...so be thinking what kind of May Basket you can share with a small child, a neighbor or a friend! It doesn't have to be fancy... just fun!

May Day kinda snuck up on me...but I have the whole rainy weekend to putz with paper. 

Far Side

Butter Butts

 The little Butter Butts ( Yellow-rumped Warblers) are here another sure sign of Spring.  They brought lots of their friends. 

Pretty little things with their splashes of yellow...yes they have yellow butts too.

They prefer the black sunflower seeds. 

Yesterday was Far Guy's infusion day.  I dropped him off and ran errands, Walmart pick up twice because they forgot my bag with the butter and cheese...they called me when I was at the bank.  So Far Guy had to wait for me in the car while I went to the meat market, grocery store for fresh fruit and the pharmacy. 

So much for the excitement yesterday. 

Far Side

First Robin

 We saw the first Robin in our yard yesterday afternoon... no camera.  In the evening  I finally got a photo of the Robin sitting high in a tree.

Everyone has had Robins in their yards before us this year.  So glad we finally saw one! 

Spring might be here. 

Far Guy still has a cough and is short of breath.  Yes, some of it could be Spring allergy related as he often gets sick in the Spring/early Summer.  He takes allergy medication.  Bottom line is he is still struggling. 

I am exhausted so we make quite the pair.

Far Side 

More pills

 What do the Doctors do best?  Add more pills to your diet, he doubled my Potassium and hopes that next weeks blood test is better.  Low Potassium makes me so tired.  He checked me all out and scratched his head, and ordered more blood tests...guess what I still have low Potassium. I have no doubt that he is a good Doctor, he teaches Medical Students.  He is also Far Guy's Primary Care Doctor.  

It was great to see the kids: Andy and Jen, Noah and Maddie!  AND of course Sadie and Little Elvis!  They were very happy to see us and I think Sadie was petted and fussed with for several hours straight!

Jen has a few things coming up in her front garden....looks like her Bleeding Heart made it another year! 

The weather was downright warm and sunny in East Grand Forks on Monday afternoon, then it cooled off on Tuesday and rained a bit. 

Sadie and Little Elvis

Far Side

Away

 Gone to see this dog and go to a Dr appointment about my low Potassium.

Far Side

The big sort

 This has been my work area since we have returned home.

Organized chaos.  Although last week at one point it was a worse mess.

There is kind of a path to walk through.  Good thing we are not expecting company.  

I won't guess when I will be done...best laid plans can change. 

Far Guy is sick again, coughing and real congested. 

Far Side

sNOw

 Oh yes it snowed on Friday morning, off and on all day, huge honking snowflakes in the air, mostly it melted, then it snowed again overnight on Friday night/Saturday morning.

Even Ranger Blue had snow.

Saturday was a quiet day, we went to recycle and to the transfer station with garbage.  We were both tired so we had long afternoon naps after putting ribs in the crockpot.  

We use our oven sparingly after the idiot repairman didn't know his butt from a hole in the ground.  The cooling circulating fan inside the oven worked just fine until he repaired the oven ($400), the next time he came back two months later he said it didn't need to work.  Jenn-Air says "The cooling fan runs to help keep the range itself and its critical parts from overheating. The cooling fan is often sold as an assembly. If the fan does not turn freely or has power to it but won't run, it will need to be replaced." 

I ordered a new stove after much research. It is not here yet. Our stove is 26 years old...so it is probably time.  The stove top works perfectly. 

Such is life at our home.

Far Side

In between

 Yesterday I picked up my Aunt Judy (she was married to Uncle Dennis who was my Mother's brother, he died a number of years ago) and she and I went to see my Uncle Al.  Uncle Al is 7 years older than me and loved the job of rocking babies instead of chopping wood.  I was born in September and my Grandmother had twins in November ( My Aunt Karen died a few years ago but Uncle Kenny is still alive and lives in Nebraska. )  So there were three babies to rock, Uncle Al says it was almost a full time job. 

So I am the in between kid...in between Al and Kenny.  They are the the last surviving members of that family.   Uncle Al was diagnosed with Leukemia 6 1/2 years ago, the Doctors bought him a few good years, recently the Doctors reported that the cancer is in his bones so there is nothing medically that can be done for him...enter Hospice to keep him comfortable. 

He is in good spirits, taking it one day at a time. His wife Donna is a marvelous caregiver, between her and hospice they hope to keep him at home for the duration of his life.  We had a nice visit and talked about many things.  We took chicken from KFC for lunch because it is one of Uncle Al's favorite lunches.

I also took him an old picture.  He looked at it and said "Is that me and you?"  Pretty sure it is!  The photo was taken at my Grandparents home and everyone else was way older than him.

Uncle Al and me June of 1952.

Aunt Judy and I had a good visit there and back, she has a really good sense of humor, so it was a giggly girls trip! 

It snowed on and off most of yesterday.

Far Side 

Busy day

 Thursday is Far Guy's Infusion Day...he made the Nurses giggle so he got more than one stick with the needle.

  I had a blood draw, my Potassium is still low. Not sure what my Dr will do about it but he has been informed.  I already take two prescription huge honking potassium pills every day.  

I picked up the grocery order from Wally World and then headed to the other grocery store for fresh fruits. 

Far Guy and I planned the menus for the next week.  

Last evening were were invited to my baby brothers and his brides for supper, he did a BBQ Brisket and it was delicious, we also had roasted vegetables, applesauce and I made potato salad.  One of my cousins children will be a Veterinarian next year and she was up here shadowing a Vet, and she is staying at my baby brothers this week.  We enjoyed a game of Encore after supper. 

It was a good day! 

Flowers last summer.

Far Side

52

 Our oldest daughter, Trica is 52 today.  It has been 16 months since we last saw her.  She came for her Grandfathers Funeral but not for her Grandmothers. 

Here she is with my Mother about two years ago. 

Trica has a life of her own, with very little contact with family members. It is the way she wants it.

We love her daughters and grandchildren very much, of course we cannot fill her shoes but we can hug them all and tell them that they are loved. 

Happy Birthday Trica, we all love you!

Mom

26

 Maddie our middle Granddaughter is 26 today!  I was privileged to be present at her birth and cut the umbilical cord.   I then went with her to the nursery.  One time she asked me if she could have been switched at birth...I said " No way, I was with you from the time you were born until you were safely with your Mom." 

Maddie and Chance in 2009. Maddie was 11 years old back then. She and Chance were best friends.

Here she is with her husband Brenton. 

Maddie is a busy Mom working full time and taking care of three children. 

Happy Birthday Maddie!  Love you now and forever!

Grandma

Why?

 As I sort through things I wonder why they were kept. I ran into one such item that was a mystery. 

Well as it turns out it was kept by my Maternal Great Grandmother, my Maternal Grandparents and my Mother.  And now I have it over 100 years later...well...114 years later.  Now what do I do with it? 

It is a sweet card.  Turns out it came from  a teacher Esther Strout, who in 1910 was a 19 year old teacher and she boarded with the relatives (August and Elizabeth Anderson) who raised my Grandmother. 

Fred/Freddie/Frederick C Drewes was my Maternal Grandfathers older brother. 

Freddie is on the left and my grandfather (Albert) on the right. The brothers were born in 1901 and 1903 they were 1 year and 7 months apart in age. 

Sadly Freddie died of Scarlet Fever on Sept 20 1911. 

My Grandfather never spoke of his brother to me.  I wonder if my Grandfather got Scarlet Fever also, but he was luckier than his brother.  My grandfather also had other siblings a sister born in 1905 and brothers born in 1907 and 1912.

Well now after a bit of research I know why this card was kept. It must have been a remnant that comforted my Great Grandmother Hattie. Something she could just not throw away. 

For Not Whispering.

Far Side