Happy St Urho’s Day

March 16 is the day!  It is not as famous as some other Saints day but more fun for us Finlanders.

Chance is set!

You haven’t heard of this great day?  Well Saint Urho chased the grasshoppers out of Finland and saved the grape crop. Little towns all over Minnesota will be celebrating.

The parade we usually attend will happen this next weekend.

I hope the weather is nice, I have heard that the barstool race has been cancelled due to the lack of snow.

The whole point of the day is to let yourself be a little foolish and have some fun!

 

Change

Uffda that time change is a bugger for me.  My butt is draggin.  It is really really dark at Chance o’ Thirty when he wants out…we traipsed around in the dark and in the fog until he was done.  No way am I leaving him out in the dark alone.  At least it was warm.

My sorts are out, it usually takes me a week or three to get used to it all. One little old hour shouldn’t be a big deal…at least that is what I tell myself.

I took down the snowman and put up the bunny.   Easter is sneaking up fast.

Yesterday at the grocery store the little old lady in front of me lost some of her coupons and couldn’t find her rewards card …she blamed it all on daylight saving time.  I say little old lady because she is at least 15 years older than me.  She handed the checkout gal a whole raft of coupons to go through.  That made the checkout gals day.  I wasn’t in my normal store…cause I needed yogurt and since I don’t appreciate change I only like one kind and our usual store was completely sold out. Word musta got around that Black Cherry Greek Yogurt is really good…now that store is sold out too.

Change what you can, and if you cannot then you just have to go with the flow and have a good long nap.

Coincidence?

How much in our lives is just coincidence? 

I just had a coincidence happen to me.

I began collecting old photos a number of years ago and I present one a day over at Forgotten Old Photos.  Yesterday I posted Photo Number 2183, and today I posted Full Circle 140.   Well over 250 photos have been returned to family…I haven’t counted in a while. I look for photos in Antique Shops, garage sales and Flea Markets.   Mostly I look for photos with names or photos that are interesting to me in the hopes that they will be interesting to other people too.

What in the world could be the connection between this photo and one I found in an Antique Shop in Detroit Lakes Minnesota?  By the way this is the former Governor Ragnvold Nestos residence in Buxton North Dakota. Our daughter Trica and her husband purchased this home in 1995.  That is Far Guy and Trica on the step and that red Geo was the lemon that needed engines every year..and the photographer was you guessed it…me.

Any guesses what the connection could be?  Pop on over to Forgotten Old Photos if you are curious.  The whole story made me smile.

A Summery Day in March

It was 60 F or 15C  eh! yesterday.  I put my good snow boots away but not my waterproof ones, I figure we will get some more snow and sloppy wet slushy stuff yet.  I was tempted to put away my parka…but then I reminded myself that it is March and I do live in Minnesota where sometimes a parka is needed in May.

I worked in the yard for a while, raking up twigs and winter debris.  Far Guy did doggie dew…or poop patrol.

You can almost imagine a hint of green in the grass, and yes there is a bit of ice left where I throw shovels of snow off the patio.

The water has disappeared from the snow stick, but there is still snow closer to the house.

The sauna and the wildgardens

It looks like spring, even feels like spring but is it really spring…probably not.  I am thankful that I got the majority of the leaves mulched or raked and pushed into the woods last Fall.  It makes Spring clean up much easier.

It was a pretty day, we went for a walk and sat out on the patio.  Chance and I went out and played ball until dark. Days like this don’t come along very often! I needed that sunshine to warm my old winter weary bones.

I like springing forward much better than falling back, but the time change still makes me a tad cranky crankier than normal.
 

Chocolate and Coffee

We travelled North to bring the granddogs, Miss Miney and Little Elvis to their own yard. We were happy to return them safe and sound and perhaps more spoiled!  We did some errands in Grand Forks ND and then met back at our daughter Jen and Andy’s home to hear all about the trip.

Jen loves Hawaii, and will go there any chance she gets, this time they visited Maui.  She took a bunch of photos, hopefully enough to last her until the next time she goes.  I think Andy and the boys were keeping a close eye on her before she got back on the plane…they were afraid she would just stay there!

We can have coffee and chocolates today and sit out on our patio where it was 64F  yesterday!  That is 17C eh!

I have never been to Hawaii, Far Guy was deployed there for several weeks.  I would like to go someday.  The kids flew out of Winnipeg Canada it seems flights were much more reasonable from there. 

Carvings and Dogs

Some little carvings were finished up and painted this week.

These are all small Cottonwood Bark Carvings.  I put the pen in there for a size reference.  I like carving these little creations because they fit nicely in my arthritic hands.

Here they are painted and sealed.  I will send one off to Sam for winning the Snowstick Contest.

I never know what a hunk of wood will turn into until I start carving and let the wood speak to me.  Each one is a one of a kind, no two are ever alike.

It was a beautiful day yesterday  51 F or 10 C eh!  The sun was out and everything.  The dogs spent much of the day outside.  No squirrels in our yard today!  I did a little yard clean up. My raking muscles need to be broken in slowly!  If we had a perfect lawn I wouldn’t rake this time of year, but our lawn is au natural so we can get by with it.

When Miss Miney is tired and needs a rest she takes the ball with her!   Here I am getting the “stink eye” because she hates the camera.

Busy Days

The granddogs had appointments for the full treatment at the groomers.  They look and feel beautiful/handsome!  Chance was very depressed when they were gone for part of the day, he sulked and slept.  Chance will have his day at the groomers too just not quite yet…we will wait for some of the mud to go away.

I called Uncle Archie and he came over and looked through the old photos that Cousin Terry shared with me.  We got a few more old family stories.  Uncle Archie will be 87 this year, he is doing great!

I worked on beading a bracelet, scanning some photos and on some volunteer work amongst the normal cooking and cleaning.   Usually I have begun some spring house cleaning by now, not so much this year.  April might be a good month to do that…or not.

 

Miss Miney

We have lots of twigs and leaves and birdseed in the yard, that will have to be dealt with sooner or later.

Little Elvis the 6:30 dog, he wants me to get up and fix him a dish of food and put him out at 6:30 every morning…he will lick what ever part of you that his little legs will reach; hands, feet or face.  He almost got a stupid squirrel…not so sure what he would do with it if he caught it.  I say stupid squirrel because the squirrel came right out of the tree in front of Little Elvis and the chase was on!

Chance ever watchful doing what a Border Collie does best…waiting for the ball to be thrown.

Wistful Wednesday: A car

I am still working on those Farm Diaries…I find some things quite remarkable.  You could trade colts for a car and the people with cars for sale made house calls.  Perhaps you will enjoy Far Guy’s Grandpa James X.’s shorthand. I am getting much better at reading his hand writing!

Sunday June 25 1922 Took colts to trade for car did not trade To Sorensons in PM

No mention of what kind of car just a car.

Thursday September 14 1922 Finished corn hauled in clover straw fellow here with car to trade
Tuesday June 9 1923 Rained hard made fence Les Enfield here to show car

Now the Les Enfield that I knew was always a car salesman.

Friday July 6 1923 Thresa and Frances took cream in car I plowed corn to Ponsford celebration in PM Played Dance at Ponsford in eve ( First mention of driving a car, I wonder who drove?  Aunt Frances or Grandma Tracie? Grandma is said to not drive at all until after Grandpa died. Were they just testing out a car?  There is no more mention of taking cream in the car.)

Sunday July 29 1923 Dads here to see about car deal got binder in eve Beck came home with me ( Dads was Tracie’s parents, when Grandpa left Logan Iowa he never saw his father again.)

Stuve’s old Ford

This photo was in the photo album that belonged to Aunt Frances. Not sure who the people are …that could be Aunt Frances with the big bow in her hair…we may never know.

We do know that this was most likely the car that her parent’s /Dads/the Stuves purchased.

August 2  1923 Thursday Started on barn cellar Dads here in eve with new Ford

Did new mean brand new or new to them?

January 6 1924  Sunday  Home Dads here in PM got stuck up by corner

January 31 1924 Thursday Filed saw sharpened ax cut down Norway in front of barn Dads came out in car thawed hauled wood in PM

February 10 1924 Sunday To PR ( Park Rapids) Lydia came out after us

I take it that only the elders (Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Stuve) bought a car.  But you never can tell what hints the next monthly diary will bring.
 

Melting and Muddy

The snow is melting and the water is running.  The skunks are out doing what skunks do to escape extinction.   We smelled one a couple miles away.  There are none in the culverts because the culverts are running full of water. They will go back to sleep before emerging in spring with babies.  I have taken the peanut butter jar in for now …no sense flirting with danger. ( Have I said I hate skunks?  I do.  I am not sure what purpose they serve other than to be stinky and irritate me.  We don’t have a compost pile that has food scraps in it…only leaves.)

Three inches of snow at the snowstick in the morning March 7. Photo taken from the inside of the house.

Later in the day the stick was surrounded by 3 1/2 inches of water. Is it premature to call Sam the winner?  She guessed March 10.

With the exception of one day we are supposed to have highs in the 50’s until mid March.  Unseasonably warm for March.

Sam you are the winner this time!  I have your address.  If it should snow again and get at least three inches at the snow stick I will reopen the contest with the same guesses that can be found here.

Here is some mud for ya x 12 paws…

When you get tired of playing ball you eat snow with friends at the snow bar and the snow helps clean your paws.

Picket Fence Border and Granddogs

This is the system that I use to cut a fancy border on paper.  This one just happens to be Creative Memories but I am certain there are other brands out there.

Here I have placed my paper under the whatchmacallit and lined it up in the tray, then the tray gets flipped back and you insert the punch into the guide holes of the whatchamacallit.

You move the punch along in the guide holes along the length of your paper. Punching, punching making all kinds of tiny pieces of paper as the design emerges.

The design team which was probaly all women did a great job designing this system.  All kinds of different designs can be purchased. This one can be used as a top border or a bottom border.  You could even back the design with a different color paper or run a length of ribbon through the fences…you are only limited by your imagination.

I finished all my small cards, packaged them up in clear sleeves and put them away.  Cross one project off the list!

I have not been compensated in any way by Creative Memories but hey…I am always willing to try out free stuff.

Miss Miney looks innocent enough doesn’t she?  At one time in the morning her white was covered in tiny black thistle seeds after she scratched her back under the bird feeder.  We will never know if Little Elvis rolled too…he usually does every thing Miney does.

Sometimes being black is a good thing.

The snow is melting fast!

Chance: I got company

Hiya it’s me Chance!  I have been busy, I got me some company…I love them and they love me.  One day we parked next to them and we serenaded the whole parking lot.

Here they are Miss Miney and Little Elvis….they are barkers Shetland Sheepdogs or Shelties and they are my bestest friends in the whole world.

We are the official escorts to get the mail. We all herd differently, the main idea is to get the mail and take it back home. 

Along the way we saw Lumbermason…and he stopped to visit.  He even petted Miss Miney…strange for her to let a stranger touch her…perhaps she is mellowing in her old age.  Little Elvis didn’t want anyone strange to touch him…his stranger danger meter is high.  Me on the other hand…well I love everyone and consider everyone my friend even if they don’t like dogs.

Lumbermason lives next door….his name should have been Jack…he likes to cut wood.

We all had a good walk, Far Guy has a walking stick with a sharp end that pokes into the ice. About this time Far Side headed home and I followed her and then Miss Miney and Little Elvis followed too…so we got to play ball!

We still have snow.  Here is the snowstick.

Stay tuned it may warm up and rain this week.

My desk

Is a mess.  Too many projects, I flit from one project to the next many times a day accomplishing nothing.

See I told you it is a mess.  Yesterday and for about a week I have been working on some note cards.
I used some paper scraps from the scrap paper drawer…doesn’t everyone have one of those…I do never can tell when I need a pretty piece of paper that is not 12 x 12 or 8 x 10…wouldn’t want to just slice into a NEW sheet of paper for just a small piece.  Oh yes I am a paper hoarder.

I am also a hoarder of these small tape runners, they have refills and I had three of them…I was afraid they would lose their glue so I am using them up.

How do you like that fancy edge on the paper?  I like it!  Jen, Andy and boys gave me the cutter that makes this fancy edge.  It was a Christmas gift.  I can also make a picket fence border but I like the fancy edge the best.

I sold a bunch of cards and I needed to replenish my supply.  It would be awful if the card maker would have to buy a card. These are all wallet size photos on smaller cards, I still have to do the larger cards that take 4 x 6 photos.

Minnesota Roads and Back on Track

Minnesota roads are looking good, a few isolated slippery spots, otherwise perfect for a late afternoon drive. There is still some snow in the ditches.  The snowstick still has snow too.

Met some special people to have supper with. Pizza and loaded nachos were devoured then we came back home. It wasn’t a trip to our normal town and it wasn’t to the clinic or a hospital.  Yeah!

Earlier in the day Far Guy tried to access his own port, it didn’t go so well so he handed it off to me. ( He was really really disgusted and discouraged…he said “I knew it was a failure.”) I really had to shove on his chest to get the needle in…think owie owie ker…thump.  Sucess with a blood return and the Gravity Flow IV worked like a charm at 66 drops per minute and the IV took 18 1/2 minutes. We are now keeping track of this “stuff.” Next week some of the swelling should be reduced and it will be easier to access the port. Having this week behind us will be a good thing…not sure we have a normal anymore as each week is a new adventure.

Hopefully we are back on track…but neither of us are counting on it.

Not much traffic on this back road, we met maybe six cars on our way and about the same number on the way back.  We got back home just when it was getting to that time of night that you could see a few stars in the sky.  We saw no deer, turkeys or any other kind of wildlife.

March

March came in a bit lionish here, it has been bitterly cold.  We got a skiff of snow a couple of nights.
Far Guy endured the surgery to remove his occluded port and it was replaced with another port on the other side of his chest.  He will have matching scars.  This port is set a little deeper and it is much more painful for him.  We had really good nursing care, we had a nurse that was an old customer of ours.  Far Guy is getting to know all the nurses in surgery and recovery since he has been there three times in the last four weeks…and that may have something to do with why he is not bouncing back very fast. His chest is swollen and painful to the touch…I am thinking I will let him do his own needle stick this week.

We are having quiet days at home.  Walking Chance a few times a day and napping.

I have a variety of projects sitting on my desk and I work on them in between cooking and naps. Photo cards, scanning old photos and some knitting.

I really should make a “to do” list…but just dealing with the here and now seems enough for now.