Sunday Drive

We went for a Sunday Drive.  

We saw a Classic Car a 1957 Chevy.  It was perfect.

Far Guy says “Look at that paint color on the roof…It is Willow Green just like my old Desoto!”

Yes, that is a hay bale in the ditch.  Up here in Minnesota many farmers take advantage of roadside grass.

Near Staples Minnesota I saw this field.

I think this is a Flax field…not in bloom yet..but soon.  If you have been reading my blog for a long time you know that I have wanted to photograph a Flax field for a long time…it has been on my photographic bucket list.  Well I got the photo but without the flowers.  I was tempted to stop at one of the farm houses down the road from this field and ask them if they would call me when it blooms..but they probably would have thought I was nuts.

I could be..nuts that is.  What is on my photo bucket list?  A baby buffalo, lightening and a Flax field in bloom.

It was another warm day 90 F or 32 C  and 85% humidity.  The humidity just hangs in the air.  If you ask me the heat is making lots of people a tad cranky.  Oh, it was warm in the museum on Saturday…the building has finally caught up..now whatever the outside temperature is..well that is the inside temperature too.  I am thankful that we have air conditioning at home:)

Green

Adam got a new cast.  This one is green too.  (Adam broke two bones above his wrist in early June.)

This is what is says on his shirt.

Adam might get his cast off in two weeks.  He would like to go swimming.  He missed some ride at the carnival the other night because of his cast.  He is getting a little bored. 

I almost asked him if his arm was itchy?  I know the summer I was stuck in a cast from toe to upper thigh…I fashioned a scratcher from a fly swatter.  I would hold my leg in the air and wiggle that fly swatter up inside the cast behind my knee to scratch…then I would put alcohol on gauze and rub that around…it would sting like it was on fire but the infernal itching was done with until the next day.

I thought better of relating that story to him…I am sure he has come up with some solutions of his own.

It is still warm and humid here.

You can practically hear the corn growing.  It was knee high for the 4th of July:)

White Tails

I had some fun photographing a couple of White Tail Deer one evening.

It was a beautiful sunset.

These two males crossed the road in front of us and headed into the grain field.

I was pleased to get this shot of all four feet in the air.  Now you know why they are called white tails!

Yesterday something strange happened with Blogger, my Forgotten Old Photos Blog disappeared along with my photo blog, I hope Blogger gets it all sorted out soon. Has anyone else had a problem? :(

Dragonfly Buddies

Minnesotans love Dragonflies.  Why?  Because they eat mosquitoes. They can eat their weight in mosquitoes in 30 minutes.  Impressive hunters..welcome to Minnesota!

They landed in some peoples hair looking like hair jewelry.

They even like bald landing strips.

My what big eyes they have ..with thousands of lenses which allow them to see almost all the way around. All the better to hunt down mosquitoes! We love dragonflies!

Sometimes a little boy makes a new friend, or becomes less afraid of flying bugs.

Most of the dragonflies we saw out on the lake were huge compared to other years.  That must be because they have a big job to do. They were also very friendly!  The mosquitoes are horrid…with all the rain we have had they are just awful. No one in their right mind can stand being out after dark unless they are covered in bug repellant:(

Happy this 4th of July?

Recently I saw a piece on TV.  They were asking people to sing our National Anthem “The Star Spangled Banner.”  No one knew the words and what was worse they made up words if they didn’t know them…some just hummed.  I guess I find humming less offensive than making up words.

I cannot remember when I learned that song.  Probably in the first grade.  I must have been paying attention because I still remember the words.  In my grade school days..we did “stuff” like that, sang a song over and over until we knew the words by heart, learned every word to the Pledge of Allegiance too and stood up to say it with our hand over our heart.  We prayed too..before lunch.  I will be the first to admit that I prayed a lot in school..(oh please let me pass that test.)

Seems to me that things are getting all messed up. We don’t speak the same language anymore, some people won’t get their butts out of their lawn chair for the flags in a parade..where or what went wrong that we stopped being proud of being American? Did we get too busy? Or are we just lazy..too lazy to teach our kids the words to “The Star Spangled Banner?”

I had a foreigner try to scam me yesterday morning.

I answered the freaking phone..In broken English she said “Heddoo this is Saffrickia I ams a computer especialist and the computer in ya home is havin problems updating.  I am a tranned specialist and can fix it over the phone.”  R.E.A.L.L.Y.  She went on to say that she was qualified to fix computers..and if I didn’t let her fix my computer it was going to crash.  R.E.A.L.L.Y.  I said “My computer updated just fine this morning and my husband is a computer genius.”  She said Tanks and I said “Goodbye..go ahead and try to scam someone else because it ain’t workin here sweetie.”

I can see where an elderly person might fall for this scam.  No doubt they want your credit card number over the phone to do the repairs.

I am happy that I am “with it” enough to recognize a scam artist.  Happy that I can still remember the words to “The Star Spangled Banner” I maybe tone deaf, but I can still sing each and every word. AND if I am at that parade I will be standing for the first bunch of flags. 

Happy 4th of July! :)

Wistful Wednesday : 1952

The weather is warm. Makes me think of making hay on or around the 4th of July.  I can almost feel the twine on the bales digging into my hands..making blisters. I know I can feel the scratchy hay chaff settling down everywhere I was sweating..especially right down my shirt.  My legs would be covered with the telltale signs of hay making..scraped and red in places where the stiffer stalks would try to puncture your skin.  Of course a simple solution would have been to wear pants while making hay..but it was summer and I was a kid.  I could pick a bale up off the ground and get it onto the hay wagon to be stacked.  Some of those bales were pretty heavy.  I won’t mention the mess a bale makes if the twine breaks.

Hay making has come a long ways since then…at least we had a tractor and a baler.

This is a photo that my Mom took in 1952. 

 

Me and my Uncle Kenny and my Aunt Karen.

It looks like Kenny has irritated Karen and I am heading for my own adventure.  We are sitting in the lawn out in front of Grandma and Grandpa D’s house in the grass which has clover..which made me think of making hay and the 4th of July.  Some days my mind is round about like that:)

Warm

It was warm yesterday 86 F or 30 C .  And humid.  We were invited to the neighbors for supper.  Another night of no cooking. Yay!  Pork burgers and potato salad yum!! 

The Smoky Hills were real smoky..when humidity hangs in the air they take on a smoky appearance. 

We saw a deer.  If she had a fawn it was well hidden.

We heard from a fellow woodcarver today that she had a double Lady’s Slipper near the end of her drive.

I took some photos of it as a reference just incase we want to carve a double.  Far Guy is still carving single Lady’s Slippers, he carves them to donate to silent auctions at local benefits.

What I look for is how the one stem splits off to make two smaller leaves and then two flower buds.  It might not seem like a big deal but woodcarvers are a meticulous bunch. As you can see the flowers are coming to an end in the warm weather.

I managed to find an almost perfect single.   This one might be notecard worthy:)

July 1

I will be glad when the 4th of July is over.  Here in Minnesota people seem to hurry from here to there trying to cram as much summer in as they can before the 4th.  The traffic is horrid… even way back in the boonies.  After the 4th it seems to slow down every week until we get back to normal in August when school starts in other States.

I won’t miss the weekenders who let their dogs run loose. The idiot out on the lake who roars around in his speed boat has returned.  I heard the Loons today..in between speed boat sounds…or maybe they were protesting the speed boats.  The windows are open at night..and I am awakened by the pop pop BOOM of firecrackers and Chance hides in the bathroom.  He needs a Thunder shirt..heck..I need a Thunder shirt too!

Far Guy says we have entered the “Grumpy Old Fart” stage.  Maybe we have.

Far Guy took out his kayak yesterday.

 

A gaggle of Canada Geese were on the lake.

Later we went out for supper and a ride. Chance had to stay home it was too hot to leave him in the car.

Saw a coyote heading out into the bean field across from our driveway.

We went to check the White Lady Slipper.. it was sad.

One week from a bud to chomped off by a browsing tick machine.  We have watched this same Lady Slipper get mowed off the past several years.  We always hope it will escape the deer.  We will still keep our eyes open for the White Lady’s Slippers…they usually bloom just after the Showy Lady’s Slippers.  There is hope that we will see one of them bloom this year but we are not holding our breath:(

Snow in June?

Well the shrub the old timers call Minnesota Snowball is blooming.

It is really called Viburnum opulus ‘Roseum’ some people call it European Snowball.  It is a very old plant.  Mine is lucky to get a half a dozen blooms, it is on the edge of the woods in a “too shady” area.

Look at this field..for a moment your eyes can be easily fooled.

Thousands of Ox-eye Daisies..blooming their hearts out.  It was windy..I might go back to this spot soon on a less windy day.

Awfully pretty for a noxious weed wildflower.  I just went and checked and it no longer appears on Minnesota’s noxious weed list. So wildflower it is!

Goodbye June..you sure were a rainy month.  I think we made up the rain deficit, and more than filled up the mosquito breeding areas. I am not seeing many bees..just a few. No flies yet and very few butterflies.  I am seeing a large dragon fly hatch..they help out with the mosquitoes.  The bat house remains uninhabited however there are bats that fly through the yard just before dark probably eating their weight in skeeters.  The squirrels have become ravenous again this past week…they must be having another batch of babies.  The Bluebirds are busy feeding their babies.  I have startled them several times while walking through the wild gardens. The weather finally turned warm ..in the 80’s this past week…warm and humid. It cools off nicely overnight into the 50’s:)

Getting Older

After the fundraising dinner last week, Monday meetings, Monday program and a class on Thursday I was tired.  If I had a rope I would have been near the end of it.

Far Guy has pericarditis again.  At least this time he recognized the signs early before an ambulance and air ambulance ride was necessary like back in 2011.  Pericarditis can happen after a virus…he is feeling “almost normal” after 36 hours on the anti- inflammatory medication.  Hopefully after this course of medication he will be all better.   If it ain’t one thing it is another.

My Doctor finally found a blood pressure medication for me that doesn’t cause hives.  It remains to be seen if it lowers my blood pressure significantly or not..it sends me looking for a potty every hour or so.  I finally printed out a list of blood pressure meds and circled the ones in red that I cannot take.  Some make me sleep for 20 hours straight, some make me lose hair in gobs, some make my joints hurt so bad I have a hard time walking, some make me real short of breath, some rob me of potassium, some just don’t lower my blood pressure at all and most give me hives.  When I was first diagnosed with High Blood Pressure I gave up coffee and staved off medications for several years. I don’t like taking medications..and the stupid blood pressure pill is the only one I take except for vitamins. I “think” that The Lyme's Disease may be mostly behind me and if the blood pressure medication situation is resolved I might feel like a real person one of these days.

Getting old is not for sissies.

This Loon parent has two babies, one is on his/her back.  We stopped to walk Chance at a Public Access and saw this Loon.  I only had my idiot camera..I was bummed out..my big girl camera would have captured this wonderfully. We were out looking for garage sales not wildlife. Yesterday was one of my days off.

I was happy to see a successful loon hatch! Now if they can avoid the Eagles, Snapping Turtles and Northerns..everyday is an adventure in survival for a loon baby:)

Potato Salad and Butter

Miss Paula  shoulda stuck a stick of butter in her mouth.  But she didn’t.  I understand..  us Scandinavians get a bad rap some times..but I take it in stride. Sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me.  Remember that as a kid?  How about tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  Sometimes what is offensive to one person is perfectly acceptable to another. 

Maybe I should shove a stick of butter in my mouth.

Has the world lost all it’s common sense?

Take the case of the potato salad, homemade non the less and the good kind made with Miracle Whip, just the right amount of onion and topped with slices of egg.  Covered in two bowls, with a sign on top that said “For Funeral.”

Enter a political fundraiser taking over that kitchen the night before the funeral that was supposed to have the yummy clearly marked potato salad made especially for the bereaved.

They paid no attention to signs and took the potato salad and served it at their political fundraiser.  They took what wasn’t theirs and gave it to other people ..(sound familiar?) After they realized their mistake, they dipped into the second bowl.  Late that night they called the potato salad lady and told her that they had served her potato salad and they were sorry, but it was delicious..the best potato salad they had ever tasted.…perhaps with the $10.00 that they sent over she could purchase some potato salad  from the deli of a local grocery store.  I.D.I.O.T.S.

Someone said the other day. “I hope Jesus comes to get us soon.”  Today I can only agree:)

A Pole Painter

On Tuesday at the museum  I noticed some commotion outside by the flag pole.  The janitors were looking up and taking down the flag and messing with the ropes. ( I think sometimes it is what men do best..stand around in group look up and down and nod their heads.)

The flag pole is situated right out the door of the museum next to the street.

Later I saw this..well what is a gal with a camera to do?

He hollered “Look Ma no hands!”

Well the guy is up a pole..he is a captive audience for my curious questions.

He sits on a board, he moves up and down the pole with ropes.  Those two buckets attached to the board hold his paint, roller and brush and whatever else a pole painter needs whilst he is up a pole.

His name is Warren, he is from Spokane Washington and he has been a Steeplejack for 51 years.  His Dad was one for 55 years.  Warren first went to work with his Dad when he was eight years old, he made 25 cents an hour.  ( Big money back then) He paints mainly flag poles now but he has done water and radio towers and other tall structures. He is not afraid of heights.   He charges 10 dollars a foot to paint a pole.  Our is 34 feet tall.  He painted one pole 66 feet tall in the morning up in Bagley and ours in the afternoon.  Yes, if it is windy he cannot work.  He told me that a flag pole should be painted every three years but it has been six years since ours has been done.  Our flag pole has a bit of a sway to it also…made me nervous but didn’t bother Warren.

He has an assistant.

He was tied to a tree and watched his master the entire time except when I scratched his ears.  I believe his name was “Scritch.”

Warren has five children, three girls and two boys, his boys have painted with him from time to time but are not working with him now.  We had a nice visit, until I got visitors at the museum.  Then he hollered “Goodbye Museum Lady.”

Just incase you every wonder who paints the flag poles..well now you know:)

Wistful Wednesday: 1953

I ran onto another photograph that is 60 years old.

1953

I am taking better care of my baby doll in this photo!  This photo was taken at my maternal grandparents farm.  My Aunt Karen has on someone’s shoes and my Uncle Kenny looks like he is sleep walking.  My twin uncle and aunt are two months younger than me.  Someone’s bike is leaning up against the house.  My mother must have taken this photo:)