My Day Out : Ann, Bread and a snake

I had a day out last week…I traveled deep into the woods to a Weaving Shop.  My friend Ann was there, she is the Artisan bread baker/soup maker/not afraid of snakes friend.

This is the oven that bakes the bread.  It is a home made oven, built with concrete, clay and straw.

The fire is built and quickly the oven is hot enough for bread. 

Bruce (the Weaver) takes the coals out and swabs the oven with a wet mop.

The bread is ready to go into the oven.

Ohhhh the smell when it come out of the oven!  The wheat bread sticks were yummy…   I liked it all except the mushroom bread.  Yes that is chocolate bread in the photo…I liked it…Ann sent some home with me, Far Guy liked it…Jen and Adam did not ..they were expecting a brownie…

Ann made Chicken and Wild Rice Soup and it was wonderful.

I was invited back…any Monday…soup and bread at 5.   Bruce is a weaver and spinner.  I asked him if I could bring my spinning wheel…he said YES, he will look at it and tell me what I need.

I will take Far Guy with me…as they have a pet snake who resides in the gardens …except when he is traveling through the grass by me…screaming me..poor Ann…she might be deaf in her right ear now and I am certain I almost pulled her poor shoulder out of the socket. Nope no photos of the snake either… it was a Garter Snake…a bigger one…I suppose the freaking thing is having babies.

Have I told you I am really really really afraid of sssnakes…well I am.

More about Bruce and Weaving some other day.

Chives

Trillium and Dame’s Rocket

The Trillium has faded to pink.  They start out white and then turn pink and fade away….the whole plant dissapears until next year.  I have read that it can take up to ten years for the seeds to grow to make new rhizomes…and that the Trillium is one of the only plants that changes color as it blooms.

Trillium grandiflorum

It was a busy week.  I spent three afternoons this week out and about.  One day going to garage sales with Far Guy, one day in Detroit Lakes with Jen and one day out just for me.  The day in DL with Jen; we spent some time in the cemetery, the thrift shop, JC Penneys, a bakery and driving around until we decided to walk in Wally World. 

The Dame’s Rocket was very pretty this year.  Hesperis matronalis is it’s real name.  It can be easily confused with Phox…but Dame’s Rocket has four petals that make up the flower and Phlox has five. 

Mom…a bear

Sometimes our Grandson Adam’s voice is monotone.  Thursday morning is when we heard Mom …a bear, Mom…a bear. 

We three adults looked up, in an instant I knew it was not Odda. It could be viewed out our living room window…sauntering by.  Indeed it was a full grown  bear.  We all shouted together “BEAR” then maybe a few bad words…    “Where is Chance? “ (In the house with us…thank goodness) “Get your camera” “Which way did he go?”

I won’t lie, the first time I went outside, I told Adam, we have to watch all directions…just like being on patrol in the army.  I was alert…and just a tad scared.  We alerted the neighbors and drove around to see if we could find the bear tracks or any sign of him…he appears to be gone…maybe.

Adam and Jen are here with us this week, Adam is taking Drivers Education Classes.

My bear sightings in Minnesota.

#1 At an Auction Sale in early spring…it was hungry and they were frying hamburgers, late 1980’s.
#2 Running across our driveway at the resort late 1980’s.
#3  August 17, 2014  JoLynn and I saw one in a tree along Hwy 113.

#4  June 18, 2015  The Boot Lake Bear

#5 June 9, 2016  In our yard.
Nope no photo…but I have a photo etched in my brain…I wish you could see it.

Adam says "Yes that was the first bear I have seen in the wild in Minnesota and it looked me right in the eye."

The DNR says the best way to avoid bears is not to attract them.

Our garbage is inside containers inside the garage…but there are the bird feeders outside.

Slippers

Not the kind you put on your feet.  The flower kind.

The Lesser Yellow Lady’s Slippers are coming to an end.  I have seen more of these than any other year in our area of Minnesota.  The conditions and spring weather must have been just perfect.

Nine was the most I found in a clump.   The Lesser Yellows are about 1/3 the size of the regular yellows…which are not blooming yet.

The Minnesota State Flower is just beginning to bloom.  We saw them over at Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge on Tuesday evening.

The Showy Lady’s Slipper or Cypripedium reginae.

I am certain that you will see more of these on this blog before their bloom season is over.

Many plants are just heavy in bud.

Wistful Wednesday: Apron Day

I have an apron or two, but I rarely wear them.  My Mother wore an apron on Sundays when she was cooking.  Far Guy’s Mom always had an apron in the kitchen hung over the step stool/chair that sat next to the stove, it was ready at a moments notice…they were mostly gingham aprons…red or turquoise. My grandmother wore aprons that covered her whole dress…they were some busy flowery material, with huge pockets, the apron slipped over her head and tied in the back. 

Do you wear aprons?

Aprons were worn more “back in the day” an apron kept your dress clean, the pockets held a hankie...or tiny treasures. Aprons were easier to wash than dresses.

I have an old photo of Great Aunt Frances in 1920.  It was Apron Day at school.

Maddie’s Party

We gathered for Maddie’s Party before the graduation ceremony. About 60 people attended.

The menu was sliders, french fries, coleslaw, pickles and cake.

The cake…that is her horse dog Deacon.

That blue food coloring was something else.  Trica asked her father if he was feeling okay, he had blue lips.

My Mom made Maddie a small quilt.  It has horses in the material.

My parents with Maddie.

Our five grands in fine form.

Youngest to oldest

Tallest to shortest

Lilac Finally

Our Lilac was damaged by the frost back in May.  Those leaves turned brown and I figured that it would not bloom this year…but low and behold…finally some blooms.

I think this is Syringa x prestonia ‘Donald Wyman’ a late lilac.

Not your traditional Lilac but the only one in our yard.  I believe this one was just a tiny spindly stick when Far Guy planted it.

I mowed yesterday, I missed mowing for a few days because of the rain…but now I am all caught up again.  Far Guy does the trimming around the trees.  One or two more weeks of pollen covering everything and we can put it behind us again this year.

Graduation: Maddie

Well she made it!  Maddie graduated!

This is the card I made for her graduation. That is Maddie and Chance on that rock.

She has decided that she wants to become a Veterinary Technician.  She loves animals and has a special rapport with them.  It is a career that will fit her well.

She is the graduate on the far right.

There were 323 kids graduating.

It took awhile, all those speakers who like to hear themselves talk….I am certain only a few of those graduating will remember anything…they just want it to be over!  And the band, then the orchestra then the choir…it was a bit much. Just hand over the diplomas already!

Here she is getting her diploma.

Congratulations on graduating Maddie, I knew you could do it! We are very proud of you!

Preschool Graduation in 2003

My how time flies.

Funeral: Aunt Grace

Yesterday was my Aunt Grace’s Funeral.  She was 82.  Two years ago when it was her 80th birthday, her kids showed off many of the quilts that she had made.

Many were well worn and used.  She like to see them that way…well used=appreciation!

Sadly in the last few months she lost the use of her hands, no more quilting, embroidery or hand work to keep her mind busy.

She was one of the kindest people I have ever known.  She was a good Aunt.  She was married to my Uncle George who died in 1997.  She invited me to quilting bees even though I couldn’t quilt…I learned and whatever my stitches were she always said they were perfect.

Far Guy and I both went to the wake, and then I attended the funeral.  After the service we had a Minnesota Funeral Lunch; scalloped potatoes with ham, bread, green beans, pickles, coleslaw, macaroni salads, fruit salads, every color of Jello with and without fruit and every kind of cake or bar you can imagine.  I didn’t take Jello cause I don’t like it to melt on my plate and get mixed up with my hot foods.  I balanced my slice of bread precariously on top of my green beans.  When I sat down to eat, I arranged my food just so… my other baby brother said “It is all going the same place anyway.” I know but I still don’t like my food to touch. I had a fine visit with one of my cousins who is usually too busy this time of year to talk.

It was raining.  I left before the Funeral Procession, I wanted to get some photos at the cemetery.

The rain was not letting up.

The casket awaits.

I got out of the car and stood under a very tall Spruce Tree.

Aunt Grace’s casket bearers were her seventeen grandchildren.

It kept raining, after the priest was done, someone began singing Silent Night.

The voices carried across the graveyard as it rained and rained. 

Rest In Peace sweet Aunt Grace

Her birthday photo I took two years ago.

This is the poem her children chose for the inside of her funeral program.

******

Mother’s never die – they just make quilts in the sky.

We will often remember and then realize.

That mothers are special and wonderfully wise…

And when she “Goes home” to recieve her reward

She will dwell in her heavenly home,

and make quilts for the Lord

Where she will “light up” the stars

that shine through the night

So dry tears of sorrow, for mothers don’t die-

They just move in with GOD and make quilts in the sky.

************

 

Stewpid

I had one day this week where I was easily irritated.  Just ask my husband.

Nothing irritates me more that Stewpid.

We were at “The Helpful Hardware Place.”  I knew what kind of top soil I wanted, I quickly located the bag..low and behold there was no price on the bags and no price was on the standy uppy thing nearby.  The very nice gal that was selling flowers outside called inside the store to find out the price.

I went inside to pay for my purchase.  I know the cashier quite well, I told her “ Several pallets of soil are not marked outside, please tell Brad that I complained.” One of the store helpers overheard what I said, she said  “Everything outside is marked.”  “No it’s not.”  “WELL it certainly is, maybe the rain washed off the price.”  I said “Go look.”  She  was out there scratching her butt head, I walked by and said “Looky that the rain washed a whole bunch of price placards away.” 

Let’s just say we will never be fast friends….I prefer people that have at least half a sandwich for the picnic and at least one oar to row the boat.

It was a nice day yesterday.  I got the small garden planted yesterday.  Now hopefully the squirrels will leave it all alone.

This is one of the glass flowers that I put out in the small garden. I am slowly getting them carted out of their storage spot.

Rainy Days

The past few days we have gotten much needed rain, not sure how much…but enough to made a puddle in the driveway…that usually means an inch of rain.

What do you do on rainy days?

We picked up flowers from most of the cemeteries that we visited last week.  I am always discouraged.  At my Paternal Grandparents my flowers were the only ones there. At my Maternal Grandparents my cousin Vickie always takes a hanging geranium.  BUT wait…two grands out of how many …40 some and only two brought flowers?   Far Guys Maternal Grandparents only had our flowers…his Paternal Grandparents fared a bit better with several visitors…some with real flowers!  I have various other relatives that are ignored too…so I leave flowers.

Perhaps I should plant Iris.

Not sure who will take over for us when we are no longer able…

We used to take real flowers but then you have to haul water…so we take nice bouquets of silk flowers.  They are drying in the woodshop now and will be packed away for next year.  Far Guy likes to get them picked up right after Memorial Day because it makes it easier for the people that mow and trim.

Having a holiday on Monday always messes me up, I am never sure what day of the week I am on…must be an old age thing.

One day we headed to town to do errands and buy a bag of soil for the flower bed out front.  I got the flower garden weeded and the new soil all mixed in…and we have plants to plant when ever I feel like planting in a drizzly rain….maybe today.  So far we have two sunflower seedlings that may survive and a nice bunch of wild violets…Marigolds and Salvia will join them.

Wistful Wednesday: School Days 1928

I discovered this photo in Skinnies album.

Skinnie (Aunt Frances) was one of the teachers.

That is Aunt Frances on the far left.

The upper mark is Far Guy’s Dad Marvin.  The lower mark is Uncle Jimmy because he looks just like his son Jay. 

Far Guy and I looked over the photo for Uncle Ron with no clear answer.  Perhaps he is in the back row the second boy from Aunt Francis.  OR maybe he was sick that day.

I believe this photo was taken in the spring of 1928.  Marvin would have been 13, Ron 10 and Jimmy 6. It was taken at the school in Osage….which later became the Community Center…which was later torn down to make room for the new Baptist Church later named Community Church.

I can still see how wonderful the building looked when Osage celebrated the Centennial…it was painted and served  the community well, its real wood floors were warped with age and the out house was out back.

48 students and two teachers