Showy Lady’s Slippers

The Minnesota State Flower is an orchid called the Showy Lady’s Slipper or Cypripedium reginae.  Of course I knew where to find just a few.

These are on the west side of Shell Lake.

There are many along other roads where it is either dusty or they have mowed them off already, some are in such traffic heavy areas taking photos is out of the question.

Where we were last evening only one car came speeding by.

Update on the White Lady’s Slipper that Jo and I found a few years ago.  The deer have eaten them off again.

Buggers anyway.  The white ones grow a bit taller than the Showy Lady’s Slippers and they must be real tasty.

Far Guy had a Neurologist appointment in Fargo yesterday, we got up early to go and were home by 11 AM.  I made us eggs ( farm fresh from friends of my other baby brother) and bacon after I cleaned up the kitchen I had a four hour nap.

The appointment went fine…although some equilibrium problems were noticed hopefully it is from his “crud” or some fluid on his ears. 

Smooth Solomon’s Seal

For year and years we have had one Smooth Solomon’s Seal along the driveway.  This year we are blessed with two plants!

Polygonatum biflorum is in the Lily Family.

The bell shaped flowers hang delicately below the foliage in groups of 2 to 10.  Looks like ours are 3 to 4.

It is an interesting plant and one which I look forward to seeing every year.

We had a quiet weekend.  I napped most of Saturday, I only did minor chores…one load of laundry and the dishes.  Yesterday Jen, Andy and the Grand boys came to visit.  Sure was good to see them and think about something else for awhile. 

Yellow Lady’s Slipper

The Yellow Lady’s Slipper was well worth the walk down the back drive.

She is a little lonely this year, it was a tough winter.  Last year we had seven blooms and this year only one.

She is a beauty.  Her real name is Cypripedium  parviflorum.  This is just one of the 42 species of native orchids in Minnesota.

At least one survived and she will spread her pepper like seeds and hopefully they will fall on the special fungus that they need to survive and grow and in 20 years or so there will be more orchids.

Roses and a walk

Chance and I went for a walk.

The skeeters are alive and well.

The Wild Roses have just begun to bloom.  This rose is native to Minnesota.

It is interesting to note that some Wild White Roses showed up at the old school site near the cemetery. This is the first year I have seen them.

The ditch is just full of them…could be I have missed them other years …but I doubt it.

We mowed the lawn again.  I am cleaning the house one room at a time…I only have the dining room, kitchen and upstairs left to do.  Slow and easy does it.  Tomorrow I will steam clean all the tile floors.

I am improving.  Far Guy remains about the same…if there is improvement it is minor.  He is getting discouraged… I remind him to be patient…

My Dad has been in the hospital all week.   He was finally released yesterday.  He had a kinked bowel.  Back in 1986 he had surgery for bladder cancer and they used a tiny part of his bowel…and that part has scar tissue that is causing problems from time to time.  He is on a cooked vegetable diet for the next month.  I finally felt well enough to visit him yesterday.  I was staying away because I didn’t want him to get what I had.

Flip Flops and other things

Did you know today is National Flip Flop Day?  Well it is.  I have never been able to wear flip flops the thingy that goes between your toes makes me queasy and faint every time I take a step….needless to say it ain’t a pretty site.  I wonder when they will have a Crocs day?

Speaking of Flip Flops when I was in the hospital I saw those Hillary Interviews…she is a piece of work.  Broke you say?  Her idea of broke and mine would vary by millions of dollars.   She is all about forgiveness…ya sure you betcha.  I woulda kicked Willy to the curb years ago…the lying cheating crook.  I  can’t see how in the world she is even thinking of running for President. If she were running against the devil himself I am not sure I could in good conscience vote for her.  Enough Politics…it just raises my blood pressure.

Obama visiting an Indian Reservation was a real joke…we have one nearby and he should visit there…without weeks of warnings and preparation and see what conditions are really like.  When he mentioned Obamacare was there for them I saw red…the Tribe takes care of all of their medical bills.  Not only that they can go to school and become Doctors and Lawyers…but few go.  They only worry about one day at a time…Do we have enough beer and drugs for today?   Meth use is rampant on and off the nearby reservation.  Tribal Police do their best…but no one spends much time in jail.  We need some hanging judges.

Yes I am feeling a tad cranky.  It just keeps on raining. I need me some sunshine!

On Geraniums

With all the rain we have been having the Wild Geraniums are showing off. 

Geranium maculatum a perennial native wildflower.

Many people confuse Geraniums.

Here is another true Geranium

This is a perennial geranium.  Geranium sanguineum ‘Alpenglow’

This is NOT a Geranium.  It is a Pelargonium.  Many people call them Geraniums, but if they were ever to order plants…they would order Pelargoniums.  We American’s have our terminology all messed up when it comes to Geraniums and Pelargoniums.

Most people don’t know the difference..they ask for Geraniums and the plant people give them Pelargoniums and they are happy.  Confusing for sure.

June 18 2014

Chance is happier.  I am feeling a bit better and took the undertaker off of speed dial.  Far Guy got a new antibiotic today.

 

June 17 2014

Went to the Doctor and a new antibiotic was prescribed.  I feel exhausted…sure hope this new medication works some magic.

Salvia blooming in the yard.

June 16 2014

Yesterday I got dressed and we ventured out to the Father’s Day Picnic at the firehall, the food was great!  Rhubarb pie..awesome!  It was the 37th annual fundraiser picnic.   I have to really watch what I eat at a picnic, so I had a whole wheat bun, roast pork, a dill pickle and a hotdish with potatoes and corn.

It rained most of the day but cleared off toward evening. We went outside for a short walk.  Between the two of us we got the lawn mowed late in the afternoon…it ain’t perfect but the grass was going to seed. The rain really made the grass grow.

I had only three naps yesterday…so that is an improvement.  I must be catching up.

Someone asked if I was concerned that I only remember bits and pieces of the past two weeks?  No, I had IV’s with all kinds of solutions and medications..potassium and other “crap” and I was sleep deprived.  The only sleep time I could count on in the hospital was from 11:30 PM to 2:30 AM.  Every other hour was filled with IV’s , IV Push meds, xrays, blood work, vital signs, nurse change of shifts etc…no rest for the weary there.  You just try and function on three hours of sleep a day…I bet you might forget a few things too. 

Yes we have a sauna, it is near the wildflower garden.   My Doctor thought it was a good idea to use it everyday for awhile.  I have made it out there everyday except for the day I was really weak and dizzy.

Lupine in the rain June 14 2014

June 15 2014

Still recuperating.  No big miracles, I still have a raw throat and my arthritis in my sternum and back is worse.  The Doctor calls it Costochrondritis, in the hospital they gave me injections.  I am trying to manage it with Ecotrin.

We had a big day yesterday, Far Guy and Chance went to the landfill and to recycle.  I made a pan of rhubarb tart cherry bran muffins.  Just a normal bran muffin recipe but I added tart cherries and rhubarb because I have lots in the freezer.  We went to sauna and sat watching the rain again, it rained most of the day.  Chance and I went for a walk in the rain.

I don’t remember much of what has gone on the past ten days…just bits and pieces.

Far Guy says he feels a bit better.  Chance is fine…we played ball in the rain.

The late Lilac in our yard is blooming.

Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads out there!

June 14 2014

We had a set back, we both got the FLU.  Extreme sore throats, temperatures and body aches like you wouldn’t believe on top of the crud we already had…it was rough. 

JoLynn from down the road brought us a wonderful hotdish full of vegetables, all I want to eat is vegetables and potatoes…potatoes anyway I can get them.

Last night I could finally sit upright without being dizzy.  Far Guy drug himself to the Doctor yesterday, the Doctor said “There is nothing else I can do for you, getting better will take time, you may catch every bug out there until your immune system recovers.”

Chance is patient, JoLynn played ball with him one afternoon.  Most of the time he lays quietly waiting for us to get better.

My Mom’s Iris last year 2013

 

June 12, 2014

Yesterday we made a huge kettle of vegetable soup, it will keep us in food for days.  Far Guy is an excellent sous chef.   We rested, watched movies, had many naps then we went to the sauna.  We sat for a long time just outside of the sauna watching it rain. 

Wild Columbine June 10 2014 in our yard

June 11 2014

My parents brought out homemade chicken and rice soup, I had a nap and a sauna and practically feel like a new only slightly sick person.

Sat in the yard for a few minutes last night.  Good to be outside after so many days incarcerated indoors.

Here are the Lady Slippers I had hoped to photograph last week..they are not perfect anymore but there were twelve in this clump.  These are early Yellow Lady Slippers more will bloom in a week or so.  Far Guy bought these tissue culture plants from a Bovey Minnesota Laboratory and planted this group about 14 years ago.

June 10 2014 in our yard….good to take a photo again.

Home Sweet Home

Tuesday afternoon: My knight in shining/rusty armor brought me home this afternoon.  It was quite a siege in the hospital.  No fun, I am exhausted, I have slept about 17 hours since midnight last Thursday.  I am sleep deprived and exhausted.   Doctors orders I will be resting over the next month or so, and no over doing ANYTHING.

Chance was really happy to see me!   Far Guy has had a relapse…he says he will be fine…we will see.  So we are kind of a sick mess around here.  No much fun to read or talk about.

I will post some photos from time to time..flowers maybe or something pretty from Minnesota.  Good thing I have extensive photo archives.

You all know me well I cannot be silent for too long.

Just need some time to rest and get all better.

Thanks for all the well wishes…you readers/friends are the best!  I read all your comments on my Kindle at the hospital this morning…what a great boost!

Double Flowering Plum last June 2013

An Update

Far Side sounds better today. It seems the anti-inflamatory worked enough for her to get some rest. The hospital is re-doing rooms and clearning floors; it was quite noisy over the phone. She has moved rooms and it sounds like the doctor is going to keep her for one more day, due to her oxygen stats.  I will cross my fingers that she gets to return home tomorrow.

Osteopermum or Cape Daisy

East Side for Far Side

Thursday night when I spoke to my parents about their garage sale and their ills, a little voice said, "you should go and help your parents." I shrugged it off... I had essays to grade, it was my wedding anniversary, and Andrew had just gotten home from a trip. I resigned that it just wasn't going to work out this time. Sigh.

My morning routine is to read the newspaper and check my mother's blog. Many bloggers comment daily at Far Side of Fifty. Wasn't it suspicious when she didn't post? I've asked her about this before, and found that many times she blogs ahead of time and has it set up to post automatically. So in reality she could be dead and still blogging. I probably checked ten times yesterday to see if she had posted anything yet.

Friday morning the phone rang at 7:30am. The phone never rings that early...

A sick sounding mom said, "Jen can you come? I spiked a fever overnight, and your father is swamped with the garage sale."
I didn't hesitate and answered, "Yes, I'll come." I packed a few things in an overnight bag just in case. Turning the corner eh? Wrong turn...

I guess I didn't know what to expect when I got there... I thought I would help Dad with the garage sale I guess... but I got, "Do you want to take her to the hospital or should I?" Oh... I guess I will.

Acute bronchitis with respitory distress.

I spend the day getting her settled, water and ice chips, pants and underwear, unplugging her IV and following her to the bathroom, moving her pillows, getting her blankets and covering her up.

In the ER they x-rayed, drew blood, and set up and IV. Mom started itching at the IV about ten minutes into the Leviquin, so they switch her to an oral antibotic and got her a room. Respitory Therapy is giving her a nebulizer treatment four times a day.

After the sale was over, Dad came to the hopital and we talked about  the situation a little. I would go back home to Fisher and come the next day if I was needed.

I am disappointed that she is not going home today. In fact, she is worse today with some type of inflammation of the muscles and tendons between the ribs, so they are giving her an anti-infamatory. I suggested they give try and find another IV antibotic that she isn't allergic to... it is hard help over the phone...

She is in okay spirits; she is tired since a hospital is no place to rest. She appreciates your well wishes for her recovery. She would blog herself but the hopital's wireless has a spotty signal. Thanks for visting. I'll keep you posted!

East Side

Bump in road

Connie has been in the hospital for the past few days  MAY get home tomrrow.

 

Farguy

 

Wild Flowers Birds and Sales

The last few days have been kinda wild around here getting ready for the garage sale.  Getting everything unpacked…and more corners cleaned out.  It is all set.  The sale begins at 7AM and I suppose I will have people waiting at the gate by 6:45.  The weather is supposed to be  68 F or 20 C eh!  We might have rain showers in the afternoon.  There are two other large sales out in this area so we will probably get a good turn out.

The Hoary Puccoons are in full bloom.  I first saw them peeking out on Sunday June 1 2014.  I can tell you from the note in my Wildflower book that I first noticed it blooming on May 16, 2010…so was that an unusual year?  Maybe.  I think Aldo Leopold kept records on the Hoary Puccoon for nine years.

“Tell me of what plant-birthday a man takes notice, and I shall tell you a good deal about his vocation, his hobbies, his hay fever, and the general level of his ecological education.” Aldo Leopold

Of course the Hoary Puccoons are hard to miss, they grow wild in the ditches before the grass has a chance to grow real tall.

Puccoon is a Native American name for any plant that can be used for dye.  The root will make a reddish dye.  All the wool people would love it as a natural dye.

I stalked this American Goldfinch for awhile one day.  They sure can sing.

The Oaks are filling out finally and with all the rain we have had in the last week the grass is growing like mad.   I mowed on Monday and I will try to mow again tomorrow or I will have to make hay instead of cutting the grass.

I am feeling better.  I am cautiously optimistic that I am on the road to recovery.  Far Guy says “You are not that much better”  My optimism sometimes gets a reality check by his pessimism.  Time will tell.  My head no longer throbs and my fingernails and teeth no longer hurt..so that means I am better!

On the way to Buhl

Buhl Minnesota is way north of us..up on the Iron Range.  It is about a 2 1/2 hour drive if you don’t lollygag.

We saw several Eagles out hunting and a few deer.

A Tin Man resting on a huge lawn chair in Grand Rapids.  Home of Judy Garland ya you betcha!

Mountains of waste rock from the Iron Ore Mining.  Yes, trees are growing on piles of rock.

Near Hibbing Minnesota.

Buhl claims to have the finest water in America.  Far Guy picked up his “stuff” while I walked Chance, a small friendly dog ran up to us about the same time that the Sheriff came out of the building I asked him “Lose your Police Dog?”  No he didn’t but at least he smiled, the small friendly unleashed dog belonged to some other people that were unloading.  Chance was on lead…as he should be in a strange area.

The box of “train stuff” is still being evaluated.

This box should keep him occupied for awhile.  It was a quick trip we only stopped twice.

Far Guy is feeling better, I am trying my best to fight off what he had…I finally got it…after six weeks of being exposed to the nasty virus it finally got me.  The sore throat was replaced by head and chest congestion and body aches all over..even my toe nails and teeth ache.  At least I couldn’t overdo spending the day in the car.

Wistful Wednesday : Pine Springs Resort Cottages

When we purchased the resort back in 1986 all the cottages were different colors of green.  I like green and chose a pale green color to paint everything.  It was quite a project.

All the Cottages had strange names too.

Waco was a cottage they removed and the sign was stuck and grown into a Willow Tree.

Wewoka became Aspen ( I wanted some kind of order)

Sioux City ?? became  Birch

St. Louis?? became  Cedar

South Omaha  ?? or maybe St. Charles??  became Maple

Tulsa became  Oak

Cherokee became Pine

  Kansas City became  Spruce

                             Willow didn’t have a proper name, they used it for storage.

The Fish Cleaning house was named Colfax because the first people who cleaned fish were from Colfax Iowa.

I am getting older and don’t quite remember which was which I may have Sioux City and St. Louis mixed up. We always laughed at that name Wewoka.. We woka up!   They were originally named for towns of the first guests.

I have a video someplace, few of the old photos have names that you can read…and none of the photos are marked with cottage names..just dates.  Another winter project.

Our daughters may remember.

The pontoon on the left was called Big Blue, Far Guy bought it for ten dollars.  It nearly sank as water came over the boards as Art and Kathy towed us home after we bought it.  It was beached and the pontoons were repaired and a new deck was installed. Some of my favorite times was when we loading up a cooler and the grill and heading out in front of the resort to cook supper and ignore the ringing phone on a Friday night...we had an outside bell that rang when the phone rang. Saturday was work day…cleaning those cottages kept me busy.

The stone foundation boat house on the edge of the lake is all that remains. Boat house and bait on the lower level and the upper level was a Recreation Room.