Pileated Woodpecker

There was quite a ruckus out on the lawn yesterday.  One of those huge Pileated Woodpeckers flew through announcing he was hungry.

Chance barked and ran at him.

Far Guy told Chance to sit and be quiet.

That gave me enough time to get the camera ready and try for some photos.  I have attempted to catch this fellow before ..he has always been too skittish.

He tolerated me for a short time..he likes suet.  He flew off when I got too close for his comfort and Chance was happy that he left the yard.

We have a suet feeder hanging in the tree and we have another one out in the open.  Most all of the woodpeckers like the one near the tree.  We had it in another tree further from the house but the crows kept knocking it out of the tree and quickly devoured the suet…leaving nothing for the woodpeckers.  Chance was on crow patrol for a long time this summer.  He did a real good job of chasing them out of the yard.

This is a male Pileated Woodpecker.  See his red moustache..that is a sure sign of a male. He also has an all red head.  Females do not have the red moustache and they usually have a patch of black feathers that accentuate the red on their foreheads:)

Reading

I have discovered another way to hoard books.  How many books can a Kindle Fire hold?

I have 51 books on the Fire.  Should I delete them after I read them?  I have four that I could delete.

I have enough books hidden in this house to start a small library.  I was always afraid I would run out of things to read during the winter.  Fat chance that will happen.

At one time in my life I fantasized about having a library room full of books from floor to ceiling with one of those ladders on rails..I could whip around the room finding the book I wanted and then stretch out in a window seat and read the day away. The room would not have a phone and the fireplace would always be lit..

I bought a book for $2 at a garage sale yesterday. Nebraska Pioneer Cookbook.

It has some great recipes.  I like to read cookbooks..I have already gotten $2 worth of smiles from reading it.

Popcorn Pudding

Soak two quarts of freshly popped corn in three pints of sweet milk overnight.  When ready to bake, add three well beaten eggs, a pinch of salt and sugar to taste. Bake like a custard pudding.

Sweet Milk is just regular milk..and custards are sometimes put in a pan and baked in a slow oven 325 degrees or in a warmer oven (350 degrees) in custard cups that are in a pan that is partially filled with water.

I have never made a custard…but I think I have eaten them when I was in grade school.

Right now I am trying to read my camera manual, it is real dry reading..that cookbook was just a distraction.

Chance and I went out and watched the sunset last night:)

August Flowers

I have four days off in a row.  Chance and I have already wasted one day..I slept late and then we went visiting and took a few photos.  Got to get in some camera time!

One of Far Guy’s cousins has some beautiful flowers.  She was watering when we got there..but we still managed a few photos of some of the plants that we used to grow.

This is Tithonia Fiesta Del Sol.  Often times it is called Mexican sunflower.  The Monarch butterflies love this plant. 

I smiled when I found this Tobacco behind the Cleome at the far edge of one garden. We used to grow Tobacco every year..it was one of those plants you could almost watch grow when the weather turns hot and humid.  

Here is a pretty plant that grows in the form of a small tree.

I had no idea what it was..it is a tropical plant called Duranta erecta or Golden Dewdrops or Skyflower.  Beautiful..but all parts are toxic to children and pets.  Not something I would want in my yard.

I can feel in the air that the flowers will be gone soon..it was 39 degrees F last night ( 3 degrees C).  That is a tad chilly for this time of year:(

Fall is in the air

It has turned cold here.  Especially at night, by morning I am awakened by a chill in the house and have to get up to close the windows.

The Oaks in our yard have dropped their first few leaves..the early giver uppers..the leaves towards the end of the branches that had a tenuous hold all summer have given up the fight. They litter the yard..the first of a million or two leaves that will fall in our yard.

The bean fields have turned color.

 

The grain harvest is almost over.

Large hay bales wait in the fields.

Mothers are off school shopping with their children.  The out of state tourists with children have returned to their homes where school will begin soon.  Minnesota children do not go back to school until after Labor Day.  Years ago the State Legislature passed a law that prohibited public schools from starting before Labor Day because they felt it hurt the tourist industry.  Besides that many summer business's rely on high school and college students for their summer workforce. 

Summer is almost over..and Fall is coming on strong:(

Joe and his horses

The man loved his horses.  When I was young and in love with all horses..he would let me ride his.  He taught me how to ride bareback..he taught me that some of his horses could be ridden with just a halter..they were trained good..why?..he trained them himself.  I loved my afternoons spent at his farm.  He had a passel of kids..but few of them rode.

I would call and ask if it was okay to come over..the answer was always..yes!  I would take off on my bike.

There was this one last hill..I would ride as fast as my bike would allow..and watch for sand at the bottom of the hill.  The farm and the horses were just beyond the crest of this hill.

I have photographed this hill on many occasions.. it is just down the road from where we live now.

The memories of good times gone by..of the wind in your hair and the horse under you at a full gallop.

Even after I got my own horse (who was a terrible biter)  I preferred to go over to Joes to ride his horses.  His horses never bit me..they may have tried to brush me off on some of the low hanging branches in the pasture..but they never bit me.

Now I just photograph the horses..I always asked Joe “How many horses do you have now?”  He would answer in a ever so soft voice..and ask me to keep it to myself..because his wife Vi thought he only had a few.

He was always ready to share a story or two or three.  He died last Monday so the stories will end but the good memories will remain.  Joe was 85.  When he was 65 years old he rode with the Itasca State Park Centennial Wagon Train from St. Paul Minnesota to Itasca State Park.  Now let me tell ya that is a fur piece to ride on horseback..he always said that it was a ride of a lifetime:)

Wistful Wednesday: Fishing long ago

This is a photo of Far Guys Parents and his Great Uncle and Aunt.  This is another photo from the trunk upstairs.  I think it was most likely taken in the 1940’s.

Uncle Herman, Aunt Charlotte, Evelyn and Marvin..and the dog Lady or Tippy (I cannot tell them apart) the photo was taken at Grandpa and Grandmas farm.  (Herman was Grandpas youngest brother.)

This may have been the fishing trip where Far Guys mom got all the fish.  She didn’t fish much when she got older because she got seasick real easy.

This is Far Guy’s dad.  The photo was taken in 1979 well after he retired. He went fishing all times of the year.  He liked winter time fishing the best..it got him out of the house and it seems like all his record setting fish were caught then..perhaps that is because he had more time to fish.

I think this is the largest fish he ever got..a Northern weighing in at 25 1/2 pounds and 45 inches long! Now that is a fish!

“As a rule, men are very forgiving when you fish badly. It’s only when you fish well that they get truly upset.” Mallory Burton

His 98th birthday would have been last Monday..but he has celebrated the last eighteen of his birthdays in heaven.  He died in 1994 shortly after his birthday.  Eighteen years..how can it possibly be that long ago? 

Other than fishing and hunting..he liked to read the newspaper, listen to baseball on the radio, play solitaire and look at maps..he had an Atlas next to his chair and could be immediately transported to another state and tell you the best route to get from here to there. He liked to argue politics with whoever would argue with him.  He liked a good conversation with differing points of view.  Often times if Trica was argumentative we would say “Call your Grandpa and argue with him!”  He could spend hours looking at all the new cars when they came out for the year. He liked big cars..Lincolns and Chrysler Imperials. Red was his favorite color.  He loved fried potatoes and he learned to fry his own the year that Far Guys Mom had her hips replaced.  He had the hiccups for well over a year after his heart surgery..the only way he could get them to stop was to chug down some ice cold Fresca. He liked to watch TV “All in the Family” was one of his favorite shows..and Police Woman with that sexy Angie Dickinson. He watched “General Hospital” every day with Far Guys Mom.  If one of them would miss “the story” then the other would fill them in on the happenings in Port Charles... they even managed to get me interested in the happenings during the “Luke and Laura” era.

I have lots of good memories. He was a fine man and I was blessed to have him for a Father In Law:) 

New Camera for a Old Lady

Jen went shopping for me on Friday.  She picked up my new camera and delivered it on Saturday night.  She knows I hate to shop..so it was much less painful just to have her shop for me! It is a Canon Rebel T4i.  I bought three lenses a somewhat everyday one, a macro and a telephoto.  I also bought a proper camera case.

In the end I decided to get the same camera as Jen.  That way I can learn from her..her younger, smarter brain will grasp this new adventure in photography before me.  Besides I can ask her questions and she won’t think I am stupid..or if she does she won’t say anything.

My old Canon is still working ( as you can see by the photo above).

The museum does not have a camera and I photograph all the accessions…so until my old Canon gives up the ghost it will still be used.  It will be my go to work everyday camera.

So far I am trying to get used to some of the settings.  I need lots of practice and I need to find time to read the manual.

Chance is a semi willing subject.

There are a few roses in bloom.

Practice makes perfect.. you are never too old to learn something new..right?:)

War Memorial

Yesterday was the changing of the flags up on Bunker Hill up on the edge of the prairie.

This year Far Guy was asked to assist with the Air Force flag.

That is him in the red shirt.  The Coast Guard Guys are in the way.

My baby brother and his wife were able to attend..he was in the Navy.  All of our “neighborhood” showed up along with Andy, Jen and the grand boys.

The bunker on Bunker Hill. 

The flags were disposed of properly.

It was a thought filled day up on Bunker Hill..remembering all the Veterans the ones that returned and the ones that didn’t:(

Pow wow 2012

Last evening we headed over to the Pow wow.  We got there just in time to scarf down some homemade French Fries, cheese curds and a hamburger before the Grand Entry.

Just before the Grand Entry is a sacred peace pipe ceremony.  It is not photographed.

The Grand Entry begins with the eagle staffs, then the flags, followed by the royalty.  The men enter next followed by younger men and older children.  Women and small children encircle the men and soon everyone has entered and they are all dancing around the circle.

Traditional men’s regalia with a feather bustle.

Jingle dancers.

My favorite regalia this year was this simple oh so soft looking buckskin dress. This older lady is carrying her eagle feathers in her right hand and carries her buckskin beaded bag on her left arm.

This is one of the littlest Jingle Dress dancers.  She is our friend Edith’s Granddaughter.

We came home right after the Grand Entry.  It was a nice evening..two date nights this week:)

Busy Week

It was/is a busy week.  One more day..and then I get two days off..wishing my life away again.  Lots of people have been through the museum this week. 

There are two big reunions this weekend the class of 1977 and the class of 1972.  My baby brother is in the class of 1972…so he and his lovely wife are here from Oregon.  He retires at the end of this month.

It rained one day this week.  Chance and I had the day off to clean bathrooms, get caught up on laundry and dust a bit before our company came…we also found time to play in the yard with the camera.

These are the acorns forming in the Oak trees.  Rainy days are good days to send Far Guy into the museum..typically rainy days brings more visitors and he loves to give tours and visit with people.  So Chance and I just enjoyed our day out in the rain:)

Flowers on Main

I stopped after work yesterday and took a few photos on Main Street.  They have flowers planted in plastic pouches that are filled with dirt and then the small plants are planted in the holes in the plastic bag.  A hose supplies water by a drip system..no doubt it is on continually…or perhaps it is automatic.  I am sure they also supply a little bit of fertilizer.

 

It really brightens up this part of main street. 

The red petunias are one of my favorites.

I am cleaning out nooks and crannies in the museum.  Many storage places have not been cleaned out in years. ( Many people have shoved “stuff” that was not suitable for a museum in boxes.)  Needless to say there is lots of junk…and I mean junk…that can be sold at a rummage sale.  The Board Members are working at getting everything on tables and marked.  I keep bringing them “stuff.”  The sale is next week.

I am absolutely swamped with paperwork and accessions..and people and questions.  The volunteers have started to come back into the museum.  It finally cooled off a bit and makes working in the building bearable.  Tess showed up yesterday..I was so happy to see her!  She loves to visit with people and make them feel welcome…which frees me up to do other things... like catch up.. I know that will never happen..but I can hope:)

Happy Together

Far Guy and I had a date night.  We dropped Chance off at his sitters ( granddaughter Madison.)  He got to play ball, stare down a cat, he ate a tiny frog and a cat whopped him on the nose…he was exhausted when we picked him up after the concert.

The Buckinghams ( Kind of a Drag or Hey Baby/They are playing our song) were entertaining but really REALLY LOUD.  My ears were ringing.  I screamed at Far Guy “They must think we are all old and deaf.”

The Grass Roots (Midnight Confessions) was really loud too..my ears really hurt.  I was sure I had busted an ear drum.  Far Guy offered me our tickets to wad up and put in my ear.

Then came the guy I was waiting for Gary Puckett (Young Girl).  What a huge disappointment.  He does not have a bucket to carry a tune in.  OR perhaps my hearing had been damaged by then.

Thankfully there was an intermission to get up and stretch.  Then Mickey Dolenz ( The Monkees and Daydream Believer a salute to Davy Jones.) That was okay.

The real show finally started with Flo and Eddie or the remnant of The Turtles..they were hilarious and very entertaining.  Real showman.. they in themselves could have their own show.   Of course they are known for the song Happy Together.  

Me and You, and you and me, no matter how they toss the dice it has to be..how is that for an old ear worm?

Here are all the old guys at the end..one of them said it perfectly.  “If I had known I was going to live so long. I would have spent more of my youth getting high.”  Of course in the geriatric crowd that was there..we could all agree.

The backup band was loudly awesome..I am sure they cringe when Gary Puckett comes on stage to sing..perhaps that is why they play so loud..if not their sound guy should be fired:(

Wistful Wednesday: 1957

In the summer of 1957 we left the farm and went to live in Ray North Dakota where my Dad had a job with a construction company.  We stayed there all summer and into the fall.

Back then Dad was in charge of all the equipment.  So when we would go out to visit him we could pretend we were working.  That is me in that checkered shirt and my baby brother  is on the other “Cat” perhaps we were having an imaginary race.

This summers weather is reminiscent of that warm summer in North Dakota long ago.  North Dakota is different from Minnesota and far away from the comforts of home.  No lakes..no swimming..no cool breezes coming over the fields at night. No good tasting water unless you went to the spring by the side of the road to fill the water jugs.  There were large bull snakes in the road sometimes..they scared me.  That was the summer I learned to play Jacks and Marbles..the summer I was growing so fast I had growing pains at night..and real bad dreams.  I was five that summer almost six years old and headed to first grade in the fall.  My baby brother was three and when I went off to school he would be an only child during school days and have to do “stuff” all on his own:)

Tall Grass Prairie

The evening sun casts a glow across the tall grass prairie.

The Big Bluestem is beautiful.  It is just beginning to get it’s purple cast.  I love this little bit of untouched prairie.  Can you imagine buffalo and wild horses running along with this grass tickling their bellies?   It must have been quite a sight long ago.

The early settlers must have waded through this field.  The native tall grass prairies were not always friendly..a lightening strike could turn this beautiful prairie into a prairie fire that would have to burn itself out.

There are only a few of these untouched fields in our area.  I enjoy them while I can, I am sure in a few years they will all be gone:(

Aldo Leopold wrote:
“Man always kills the thing he loves. And so we the pioneers have killed our wilderness. Some say we had to. Be that as it may, I am glad I shall never be young without wild country to be young in.”