Steamed

 I steamed the chokecherries...it makes the whole house smell wonderful !  I got 14 cups of juice from 2 1/2 ice cream pails of fruit.  That will make 24 plus jars of jelly someday when it is cool or next Fall. 

This is a bucket before the berries have been washed.   The berries are tiny...I wash them in a bucket and swirl the berries around loosening the debris and leaves that float to the top, I keep adding water until the bucket overflows into the catch strainer in the sink...after a while your berries are all washed and ready to steam.

Chokecherries smell awesome...it is a one of a kind smell...heavy and fruity.  Far Guy says it is a sweet smell and you would never guess how tart they are when eaten raw.   He just looked up what Google says...bitter sweet smell similar to the aroma of cyanide of bitter almonds.  The pit inside a chokecherry contains amygdalin which when ingested converts to cyanide. If you eat enough pits it will kill you.  However birds, deer and bear are not affected....other animals like dogs, horses and cows will die if enough seeds are ingested. 

You wouldn't eat the pit of a cherry or a pit of an apricot...they are also poisonous. 

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Groceries and stuff

 We are still ordering and picking up groceries.  Since I have been so tired it is easier that way, then I go into one grocery store to pick out fruit.  There is still a Skippy Peanut Butter shortage and sometimes the Lime Outshine Bars are sold out.  Seems like it varies from week to week...oranges are just pathetic this summer.  Sweet corn is being sold and ranges in price from $5 a dozen to $14 a dozen.

I am still very tired but I think I am slowly getting better.  I am tolerating the medication and will be happy when my 30 days is up ( I am on day 15 now).  Most days I am tired and my left leg hurts and my right arm, sometimes my ear hurts and sometimes my neck and my glands are still swollen....all normal with Lymes. It may take up to six months before I feel "normal."  Far Guy is doing okay....he is taking good care of me.  He supervises my nap time ...of course as soon as my head hits the pillow I am out like a light. 

This is the blank that this years woodcarving starts with.   Far Guy carves just about every day. 

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Chokecherries

There is a bumper crop of Chokecherries this year. 

These hang right in the driveway and I go around them every time I go in or out.  I picked the branch clean of berries and shoved the whole thing back in the woods ...not sure it will stay there.   It might have to be tied back.

The berries hang heavily on the trees. 

This is what they looked like in bloom in the early part of June.

I picked about 2 1/2 Ice Cream pails full and will steam them today...I have a fancy steamer that separates out the juice...it is a wonderful invention.  I will freeze the juice and make jelly next winter.

The seeds are poisonous, so the whole fruit cannot be used.  There are many buckets full out there on our property and next door at my brothers.  It is hard work picking but I managed. Yesterday I just picked berries in the corner of our driveway. 

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Warm and Sunny

 It was a warm day on Tuesday.  85 F or 29 C eh.   I slept late...I am still exhausted.  I managed part of a woodcarved Christmas ornament...Far Guy did three.  

We made hotdish for supper...diced potatoes, mixed veggies, hamburger and what makes it a hotdish some kind of soup...we like Cream of Chicken....and melted cheese all over thee top.   Far Guy doesn't really care for it but he indulges me so that I can have some for freezer food.  

I did some laundry and rested.  

The other day we took Tilly to town and took some pictures. 

That is a Dragonfly landing on top of the antenna. 

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Sunny

 It was a sunny coolish day on Monday.  Perfect Minnesota weather.  76 F or 24 C eh!

I finished watching Purple Hearts which I give a 7 out of 10 and The Age of Adeline which I bestow a 10 out of 10...the best movie I have seen in a long long time.  Makes the Netflix subscription worth it to see a really good movie. 

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Sunday

 Jen visited yesterday and scrubbed a couple of floors for me and cleaned the bathroom upstairs. 

Later in the day Andy and Sadie showed up with pizza!  

Nice to have company.

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August

 I changed out the wreath on the door as August  took over for July. 

Quiet day on Saturday...we made a trip to recycle and I napped all afternoon.   I did some laundry and started a new crochet project. 

We got 3/8's of an inch of rain late on Friday night...so that helped out the grass. 

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Out

 I went out to lunch way back in the boonies with a very old friend yesterday who is turning 70 years old today!  Happy Birthday Susie!   We lived across the street from each other when our first borns were just little...that was 47 years ago.  We had so much fun at lunch!  She was daycare for our grandsons Noah and Adam when they were just little. 

I came home to rest in the afternoon and in the evening Far Guy and I went out for a ride. 

Shell River at the Dead Beaver Area the water is way down.

We need rain the lawn is turning brown and scrunches under your feet. 

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Goldenrod and Bookclub

 The Goldenrod is blooming.

It is a native plant in Minnesota. There are 15 different varieties that live in Minnesota.  

Yesterday was Bookclub, they met in a local park and had a book swap.  I did not feel up to attending so I eventually joined them by phone.   We read Where The Crawdads Sing.  I enjoyed the book and give it a 9 out of 10.   It did not end the way I thought it would.  The gals said the movie followed the book quite well. 

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1-9 and 11

 Yesterday I was the photographer for my baby brothers Grands  1 - 9 and 11.  10 was not able to attend.

That is Bjorn in the red basket.

Bjorn is just a few days over two months old. 

My baby brothers house has been a hub of activity! 

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Onward and forward

 No choice except to soldier on and make the best of everyday. 

Joe Pye Weed along a creek,

The only thing you can do for Lymes is take the antibiotics and rest.  I am doing that.  We live in the woods...ticks happen....deer and other animals spread them around.  We have a new camera system that made us aware of a wild kitty cat and a skunk. 

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Double Dose

 I have an active case of Lymes on top of my Chronic Lymes...isn't that just peachy keen. 

The bullseye mark on my thigh made it a positive diagnosis. ( My bullseye is about the size of a silver dollar and perfectly round and can appear 3 -30 days after a tick bite) I have no idea when I sustained a tick bite  and did not see a tick.  I must have scratched it off or my clothing rubbed it off. 

I saw my Doctor on Monday morning she wants me to take between 21 and 30 days of antibiotics.  She said to take it as long as my stomach would handle it.  She said I should feel better after a while. 

I have a terrible ear ache, it is most likely the spot that Lymes decided to attack at the moment. Like my Doctor said " You never know with Lymes what it will do." 

Joe Pye Weed starting to bloom.  Native to Minnesota.

Good thing I have very little planned for the next couple of weeks.   I am headed for a gold star in napping.

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Bjorn's Blanket

 I finished the baby blanket when I was resting.

This is mosaic crochet using patterns from the Geometrics and Winter Wonderland projects.

I met Bjorn on Saturday he is just two months old and has lots of hair!  This is his first trip to Minnesota from New Jersey to visit his Grandparents ( my baby brother and his bride).  His Mom reports that he travels well. 

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Residue

a small amount of something that remains after the main part has gone or been taken or used.

I had Lymes from a tick about 22 years ago...untreated.  That left me with residual Lymes.  

Every once in a while it rears its ugly head.   It is miserable.

So I take my medication (doxycycline) until it goes back to where it came from until the next time. 

The symptoms I get are: headache...which I got about two weeks ago and should have known what was coming. Fatigue, chills, swollen lymph nodes, large muscle aches, joint pain and neck stiffness....death would have been welcomed. 

 I am not sure what made the flare surface this time...I was most likely too busy and a bit tired so it got the best of me for a couple of days. 

I am feeling better now, but will take it easy for several more days.  ( I had a five hour "nap" yesterday.)  My Doctor is well aware how a flare effects me and with the medication plan in place I will recover. 

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Happy Birthday Andy!

 Yesterday was our son in law Andy's birthday!  

Sadie likes him a little the best!  She loves everything he does. 

Happy Birthday Andy!

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Slowing down

 Another busy day on Thursday, the last of the appointments and a grocery run.  Laundry and some house work and I was done for the day. 

I reached my stop sign about 3PM and headed for the couch and slept and dreamed for almost three hours.   Freezer was for supper...Far Guy chose Spaghetti and I made some nachos for myself and fruit.  Watered tomatoes and flowers after supper and folded the last load of laundry.  It will be an early night.

Friday all I have on my list is to cook up eggs and potatoes for potato salad for a gathering on Saturday. 

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Busy Day Wednesday

Virtual appointment in the morning, some laundry, I met a long time blog reader Kay from Kansas in the afternoon over at her beautiful place on Potato Lake.  I had a very nice visit and the opportunity to pet both of her dogs!  On the way home I stopped at my parents, they were on their way out to a fish fry with old friends from Indiana....so I walked them to their vehicle.  Dad gave me a hug but there was no smile to go with it...so I am sure he did not know who I was.    I did some grocery shopping for some hard to find items and came home and made supper.  After supper we took Ranger Blue to do recycling and took a ride around the block....a country block is 4 miles:)

Rainbow and clouds

After we got home I wandered through one of the wild gardens. 

Black eyed Susans.

My ever vigilant husband locked up for the night.  Apparently he was talking to me and I was not answering ( nothing new about that)...it didn't dawn on him that I was still outside.  I would have been locked out!  However my other baby brother and she who sees robins first stopped by for a visit...she had jury duty yesterday but the case was settled and she got released.  I am very jealous of her getting called for jury duty...I have never been called...that and her hair is turning the most beautiful shades of silver.  I have been working on this grey hair thing for years...and she just started going silver during covid and is way ahead of me! ( Far Guy is helpful...he says he will work harder at helping my hair get more grey.)

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Appointment week

 We have four appointments this week.  Two down and two to go...one is virtual!!  I like those the best. 

Far Guy had a CT scan and saw his Pulmonologist in Grand Forks ND.  Far Guy is doing well and we are supposed to keep on keeping on and come back in six months. 

We did a little shopping at Best Buy, Harbor Freight and Kohls where we met up with Jen.  We went over to Panera Bread for lunch where our grandson Adam is the assistant manager.  He likes his job and the people he works with.  After the last appointment we went to see Sadie and Little Elvis...both were happy to see us. 

So most of the day was spent in the car.  

In this 1928 Model A  it would have been a longer day.  They cruised about 45 miles per hour on good roads. 

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Activities on Monday

 Laundry ( several loads), 51 pick up and put away, mowed lawn and sprayed for ants.   It was a full day.  I went with Far Guy to his Car Club meeting in the evening.  It was okay...they don't run a very organized meeting and it started 23 minutes late but they served root beer floats!  

During the afternoon I worked on the baby afghan and I am now doing the border.  In a few more days I will have it done. 

More yarn may have been stuffed in the mail box and the mail box didn't break this time.  As I was unpacking it some one who shall remain nameless said " When you were a paper hoarder it was less bulky compared to yarn."

Goats Beard or Tragopogon dubius   The large flower has gone to seed.  The root of this plant can be dug up and roasted and may be used as a coffee substitute.  If the economy gets much worse it may be a source of income:)

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Critters

A bear visited...  bent the bird feeder pole took down a bird feeder plopped down on his butt and ate two suet cakes and some bird seed.   The Trail Cam was turned off so there is no photo.  We are bringing the bird feeders in at night now. 

Baxter ate a piece of metal ( part of a fence post wire) got really sick and had emergency surgery on Sunday afternoon.  As of last night he was doing okay. 

Sadie was spayed last week and only spent a few hours quietly before she returned to her normal busy self. 

Photo taken the last time Sadie was here visiting us....it will be a bit before she can go swimming again. 

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