Still Quiet

We had a nice phone visit with our Granddaughter Miss Paige, she started her new job last week...she says only 40 years to go!  She is getting into a daily routine ...I told her adulting is hard sometimes.   She is beginning to explore wedding ideas....dates...places.  

I watched a super funny movie on Netflix called Bridesmaids...funniest movie I have seen in a long time.  It was a movie made in 2011....so I am a bit behind the times. 

No scrubbing happened on Sunday...just some laundry...and a bit of outside work. 

Far Guy is still feeling partly rotten.

Far Side  

Quiet Weekend

 More scrubbing of floors and some crocheting. 

The weather may have been 70 F or 21 C.   Cool for July in Minnesota...but I like it:) 

I finally got some watercolored/stamped cards done and off my desk.  I finished watching the 10 seasons of Bringing Up Bates...I have been watching it since last winter...back to Outlander I guess...maybe I should start Grey's Anatomy from the beginning.  Regular TV has nothing worth watching.  A movie I watched recently was Captain Phillips and I thought it was very good.

Far Guy is not feeling great so quiet is a good thing.  Our next two weeks are very busy with appointments, so it is rest while you can!

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Mural Art

 Back in the Winter of 2022 our daughter Jen was exploring different art ideas.  She sent for a tile from  The Mural Mosaic Global Roots Project in the Midwest Region.  

1500 people painted tiles.  As I recall she was asked to paint something mostly blue the color of the sky. 

Her tile arrived the same day that her Aunt Jan (Far Guy's sister) died on April 21, 2022. 

Jen painted what was heavy on her mind that day.  

The mural was unveiled in Port Washington Wisconsin in April of 2023.  Jen and Andy visited the mural yesterday. 

Here is a link to a photo of the entire mural.

Isn't it wonderful what artists can create together! 

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July Book Club

 I give this months book an 8 out of a 10.  It was an okay book.  The chapters were short so you could stop and start if interrupted.  It was not a page turner. 

THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF SAM HELL  by Robert Dugoni

All the gals gave it pretty much the same review.  We heard it was a must read...but it wasn't. 

It turned really cold here...lows were in the 40's F some places had the 30's.F...very unusual for July in Minnesota.  Must be more of the dreaded Global Warming. 

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Noah, Sadie and a bear

 We got to see our oldest Grandson Noah on the 4th of July, he came over to join us for an evening meal.  He is busy at work and really likes his job. 

His dog Aurora was kinda happy to see us too.   She likes us a little...but not as much as Sadie! 

Sadie is enjoying the pool.  Andy built the deck near the pool.

Andy helps her get out of the pool. 

The pool area is fenced in...Sadie could jump the fence but so far she has not gone swimming unattended. 

Happy tired wet dog! 

On the way home we had a little excitement...we saw a very big BEAR running across the road.  Our first bear sighting of the summer.  ( It was near Zerkel MN) Just in case you think bears just stroll across the road...they can run really fast!

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Visit Up North

 We took off Up North to meet our newest Great Granddaughter.  She is 15 days old now and still just a little peanut. 

We got to cuddle and feed her.  She was visiting her Great Aunt Jen and Great Uncle Andy for the Holiday while her family was off on the lake and to fireworks.  She is an easy keeper. 

No babies usually do not smile but it sure looks like it in the photo!   She looks very much like her Mama.

Ree our third Great Grand at 15 days old. 

This is the blanket I finished especially for Jen to keep at her house...the $2 yarn blanket! 

So much fun to see this beautiful baby. 

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Happy 4th!

 My Mother was very active in the American Legion and was President of the American Legion Auxiliary for two terms. She was a flag bearer in parades on Memorial Day and the 4th of July.  She was also very active in fund raising dinners....as in chairing as many as her schedule would allow. 

Mom is feeling a bit stronger from her time in the Nursing Home, next week she may try to go back to her apartment.  One day at a time. 

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Flowers

 The Gaillardia  or Blanket flowers are blooming, they will bloom now until frost takes them out. 

The Daisies are blooming too. 

Another quiet day....more scrubbing and napping. 

We are waiting for the lake people to do fireworks but so far nothing is happening.  Usually the days before the 4th and the days after are filled with pops and booms. 

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Tall Meadow Rue

 We went for a Ranger Blue ride in the evening. 

The Tall Meadow Rue is in full bloom along side the road where it is damp.. 

We enjoyed the ride, didn't see any people out and about...a baby rabbit running down the trail and a couple of ducks leaving the river. 

It was a quiet day yesterday. I had a few house projects to do ( we have tile floors and I scrub them section by section...yes on hands and knees twice a year and a steamer other times), Far Guy worked on woodcarvings.   The wildfire smoke wasn't too bad. 

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Busy Day

 Far Guy drove me around to do errands in town, whilst waiting for me he played with the new car finding out all about the features.  They have changed a few things in three years. 

2024 Buick Encore GX Avenir

We stopped by the Nursing Home, Wally World and DQ:)  Town was nuts with the Rodeo and the 4th coming up...every other car was  from a different state...lots of North Dakota people. 

After unloading groceries I went off on my lawn mower....came home later and had a nap.  I still have some more to mow here in our yard. 

The place we bought the vehicle is having their 45th Annual Catchup sale...relish a deal don't get caught in a pickle.  A bottle of catsup with a test drive and a case of catsup with the purchase of a vehicle.

Goodbye June...hello July.

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Blue

 Yup decided on the blue one.  Boy it sure takes a long time to buy a car.  We did a test drive and liked it and they threw in a case of catsup and floor liners.  They filled it with gas while I took everything out of the old car.  ( The Catsup promotion starts July 1st...but they must have figured we qualified.) Catsup will go to relatives and to the food shelf:)

I wonder why we have so much "stuff and things" in that car.   How many face masks do we need anyway and how many bottles of hand sanitizer? I always throw spare change in the glove box....it is an old habit....one day before credit cards and debit cards I left my checkbook at home and scrounged up enough change in the glove box to buy milk and bread at the grocery store. 

Who came up with the name glove box anyways?  We have never kept gloves there...have you?  Ours is more like a junk drawer. 

We have car and Insurance papers, a map of Minnesota, a first aid kit, a puke bag, toothpicks, Tylenol, Kleenex, a crossword puzzle book, sunglasses, reading glasses, Tums, a charger for the I Pads, hand warmer and a multitool in the glove compartment.  In the door we have an umbrella and a lint roller and behind the drivers seat several ice scrapers.  I also have a Sub Zero fold up cooler that I love and several insulated cloth grocery bags and a quilt...just in case, it covers the cargo area.  Winter survival kit will go back in the car when winter approaches.

No time for a photo today...buying a car tired us both out.

Another shot of a pretty Buick.

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Decisions

 I/we have been thinking about buying a different vehicle.  I thought I wanted a Ford Bronco so that was what I was saving up for.   I drove one several times...I was just not in love with it.  I like the looks and the thought of one...but is that enough?

We have almost made a decision...we have owned two Buicks and we really like them.  I spent some time at a local car dealership and a young fellow there said he would like to sell a car.

It would have been a done deal if they had red...Cinnebar Red...instead they had Ocean Blue. 

It is not baby blue like this old Buick...it is a bit darker blue. 

We will see what the final decision is later today or tomorrow.

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Gathering spot

 When we had Tilly in town we went by an  old trail that used to lead to Crocus.  A gathering/parking spot that some teenagers may or may not have visited back in the 1960's. 

The light was not great that day so we will go back and see if we can get a better photo someday. 

You can barely see the reflectors on the timber that block off the entrance.

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Hide and Seek

 I went to visit my Mom in "the home" while Far Guy had an eye appointment.   Mom was nowhere  to be found, her phone and oxygen were in her room.  A few of the Nurses said she was last seen in the hallway walking....perhaps they should have noticed that she did not have her oxygen??  I asked every nurse and aide that I saw.  I checked bathrooms,  tv rooms, therapy rooms,  gazabo and lunch rooms.   I sent texts to my siblings just incase one of them had her. 

I headed over to her apartment in the adjoining building....she was not there either and the people I encountered had not seen her.  On my way back down the activity director was knocking on doors.  Mom was visiting old neighbors...which was just fine except no one knew it.  

Crisis was averted, Nursing Home staff were very apologetic...but someone or a number of someones dropped the ball. 

After I got Mom back in her room, the Doctor came to check her out. 

Elderly hide and seek...what is next? 

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Mom in 1953.

 

Baking of the beans

I soak the Great Northern  and the Pinto beans in water overnight.  The next day I cook them up until they are a bit soft but not mushy.  They take an hour plus to cook. I rinse them and put them in my roasters. I add some fried bacon and a slurry of dark molasses, brown sugar, mustard, catsup, salt and pepper. I may have known what the measurements were a long time ago.  I used one bottle of molasses, maybe about 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup mustard and a cup of catsup....give or take.  Then I put them in the oven to bake awhile.  I let them cool before putting into ziplock quart bags to freeze. 

Easy Peasy...other than I boiled them over and had to clean the stove:) 

I use my roasting pans all the time.  I have had them for a really long time!

There you have it...those are the beans. 

We had a quiet day on Sunday aside from the clanging of pots and pans in the kitchen.  We went for a Ranger Blue ride to recycle.

This week we have a number of appointments.  

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Wild Roses and Beans

 The Wild Roses are in bloom.  Fun to see. 

It was a rainy humid day here yesterday.  I visited Mom in the Nursing Home, my sister called and was stopping by a favorite pie place and wanted to know what kind of pie I wanted??? Sour Cream and Raisin of course. She and Mom had Oregon Berry pie.  After pie I ran some errands in town. 

Today is supposed to be cool...so I have beans that have been soaking overnight that will become baked beans...I like Great Northern and Pinto beans the best for baked beans.  Most will end up in the freezer in individual servings to enjoy with burgers or brats throughout the summer.

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Yarn and Ants

 Yarn organization...There is only one word...totes.  I put yarn in totes and sort by color.  I used to have a yarn dresser but the drawers were a pain in the butt...so now I have totes...Far Guy says "easier to move that way."

I have a new mosaic pattern that I am trying...it is a real fun pattern.

I pulled these colors to start with.

Then I added a few more blues to the bunch.  It is a work in progress.  When it looks like something I will take a photo. 

Now about those ants...I mowed some areas yesterday and treated some ant mounds.  Field Ants are nasty biting creatures ( they pinch your skin and the apply a stinging agent) and the powdered sugar/ borax mixture does not work on them.  There are a few products out there to control them...completely obliterating them will be a challenge.  Only certain things will kill them...one article I read said to take a shovel full of the mound and move it to a different mound and they will kill each other...I am not sure I have a shovel with a long enough handle.  Some day I may take a photo of the mounds....I opened up a few mounds while sitting on the lawn mower...they really get mad when you disturb the larvae. I met a fellow in the bug aisle one day he said he took a sledge hammer and pounded the mound and killed them as they came out...of course he was a big guy with huge arms...

Oh well the ant fight will continue for awhile. 

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Tale of two blankets

 I started Winter Wonderland in November of 2021...lets see that was 19 months ago.  

I can finally cross it off my list!  I put it upstairs to give away someday. Not sure who will get it...I will know when the time is right.

I used a 4 mm hook for the blanket and a 3.5 mm hook for the envelope border.  I used Stylecraft DK yarn in many different colors for the Winter Wonderland CAL.

Then I attacked these balls of Bernat yarn that I got at a rummage sale...for $2 it was too good of a deal to pass up.

I finished it in a couple of evenings.  I washed the blanket and sent it off to be used before I took a photo. 

It turned out great!  I like Bernat yarn for kids blankets as it is so soft and cuddly.  It also can be thrown in the washer and dryer! 

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Can't fix stupid

 I have had a frustrating couple of days concerning the care of my Mom.  Some people are not doing their job.  She is not receiving the level of care that she needs at the Nursing Home.  The health care team at the home is dealing with staffing shortages...at least that is one of their excuses. 

Some of the excuses that they make do not ring true and no one is accountable. Some of their answers are down right stupid and you know what they say...you can't fix stupid. 

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More Great Grand Photos!

 Ree meeting her brother Hey Mikey and sister Cee Cee.

Meeting "The Aunts"

Auntie Paige

Auntie Savannah 

Great Auntie Jen, Cee Cee and Ree 

And Ree...isn't she a beauty! 

 Photo taken by Great Auntie Jen after Ree had her first bath. 

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