Prairie Smoke

Nope nothing is on fire..it is a plant. Geum triflorum to be exact, better known as Prairie Smoke, or old man's whiskers or old mans beard. This is another plant native to Minnesota. It grows wild in the ditches, we have several plants here, another of Far Guy's acquisitions..after all he was the Native Plant expert. He ordered a bunch from a Native Wholesale Nursery..they have grown well here in the "Wildflower Gardens".

Prairie Smoke, note the distinctive foliage, this is one of Far Guys plants.

One of the advantages of growing plants native to your area, is that they will rarely croak. They won't be upset with your watering or fertilizing schedule, or sub zero temperatures day after day, you don't have to fuss with them and cover them up with leaves in the fall and uncover them again in the spring. They just grow and thrive wherever they are. No, they won't be drop dead gorgeous all summer, they have limited bloom times, but you won't have to replace them every year either. Here in the boonies every week something new is blooming, something exciting, something that not everyone has in their yard.

This is what it looks like growing wild in area ditches. Click on the photo to enlarge!

I have not purchased any plants this year, not a one. It is not that I don't enjoy flowers, because I do. I just refuse to be a slave to a watering hose. Sure I enjoy photographing flowers, but I have a whole lot more fun hunting for them with my camera than I ever did actually growing them. That may seem foreign to you, but when you are off watering, fertilizing, deadheading and weeding..I am enjoying the native plants..which have over the years adapted to their natural environment. God provides the rain, and the leaf duff..and I just reap the rewards:)
It's plumes look like little puffs of smoke, or tiny feather dusters..or old mens long beards. This was a plant blooming in the ditch:)

Storytellers: Janie and Willard

Far Guy's Uncle Willard is the story teller, I am only the translator. This entry concerns Far Guys Maternal Grandparents/Great Grandparents A. home place, and since they lived kitty corner from my parents old farm.. it holds special interest for me also.

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Aunt Janie (On my Mothers side of the family) was a storyteller too (from Ohio) she and my Uncle Zach L. (from Wisconsin) came up here in October of 1880 (from Iowa.) Janie was 24 and Zach was 32 years old. They were one of the first three white settlers in this area. They lived just west of Jim M. place. There was a Government Trail that ran from someplace on the corner of the A. property all the way to Verndale. Verndale was the closest settlement, and the end of the railroad. If they went in the winter to get flour, they snowshoed all the way to Verndale, and put their purchases in a toboggan and pulled it all the way back home. ( Cross country this trip is 43 miles as the crow flies. )

Martha and Janie, Photo taken before 1943.

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My Dad's ( Curt A.) family came from Canada in 1889, they were upset with the crown. They were farmers, and there was no working in Canada on Sunday. They didn't like all the crown taxes, if you painted your barn..you got taxed. My Dad was one year old when they came here, he had two sisters Elizabeth and Mae.

The place was nothing but big timber back then, big timber so tall and thick that there was no underbrush. There weren't any deer either. Odd sections of land were Railroad land, even sections were land to homestead. They had to saw down the big timber, and used the saw logs to build the house. (I asked him if what we know as the prairie was heavily wooded too..he said no, the prairie was always the prairie) But that the entire area south of the prairie was big timber mainly pines, and his Dad said it was easy walking.

When Walt G. was about ten years old, he was hunting ducks by Elbow Lake and shot a Lynx. They had to go into the Smoky Hills to hunt for deer. There were Timber Wolves, Lynx and Bobcats.

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Uncle Willards phone calls are very enjoyable, I take notes and he talks..and talks..I think he got a new hearing aid and is putting it to good use. We met him at the cemetery recently, quite by accident, he had brought flowers for all the old graves. We didn't know if he would be feeling up to his annual trip out there..so we were prepared with extra flowers. We had a nice visit, standing within earshot of all the headstones that mark many early pioneers to this area.

I was particularly impressed with the descriptions of the big timber. Here is a photo I took recently, from the edge of the old A. property.. perhaps where the old government trail went through..the water tower in the distance is on the Reservation.:)

Wistful Wednesday : 1957

Vacation Bible School! This was taken in June of 1957, I was almost six years old. I would be the chubby blonde on the right, my brother Carey is right next to me, he was three. The other children, I recall..but not their names. We left the farm in Minnesota for the summer and went to a little town by the name of Ray, North Dakota where my Dad was working on a road, he was a construction worker. We lived in town in the basement of this house for awhile, then we moved to a trailer court. Trailer trash! But indoor bathrooms!!! We only had an outhouse at the farm. The basement apartment was dark, the windows were small, it was probably a fire trap. I had terrible leg pain while living there, I used to cry at night..my legs hurt so bad. I was told not to jump..and it was better. I don't know what caused it, possibly I was growing really fast..and we didn't have vitamins back then. My Uncle Andrew lived with us, he worked with my Dad. He would take us out for ice cream cones in the evenings. I learned to play Jacks with my brother that summer..and we both went to Vacation Bible School. We also went someplace and got spring water every weekend, we collected it in jugs. It flowed out of the rocks, cold and clear. I remember being very impressed that it just flowed, and didn't need to be pumped:)

My brother must have borrowed me his star and his crown for this photo!

Wicked Wanda

Recently Far Guy encountered Wicked Wanda. She might just be summer help at the Pharmacy, she might be a Pharmacist..I have never met her in person. She just happened to answer the phone at the pharmacy. She wouldn't like meeting me..ever.

Far Guy had an appointment with his GP. Since Dr B is a bit challenged with numbers sometimes, and can't do math..prescriptions often end up for the wrong number of pills. Even if you send him a letter with all the math done for him..he can still mess it up. ( I have no idea how he made it through Medical School) His last mess up is our reason for this visit. This time I did the math for him while he wrote the prescriptions. I asked for the appropriate refills..Check..life is good with refills. I double check ALL the scripts..there are three. I hold them in my hot little hand all the way to the Pharmacy. Last winter Far Guy lost one between the Clinic and the Pharmacy, so he is no longer trusted with prescriptions. We wait an hour, finally a big bag of pills..we can survive for a few more days...RELIEF.. big sigh. I am actually smiling..gee that went well!! I didn't even need my hatchet today, you see since Far Guy has Trigeminal Neuralgia, I am his advocate with a hatchet..I use it on insensitive people who make Far Guys constant unbearable pain worse. Since he needs medications(Tegretol and Neurontin) to survive the pain..prescriptions are very important..these pills are what keeps Far Guy with us.

On the way home, I notice that the bottles say "NO REFILLS" I see red.. I want to go back and rip them a new anus. It was a good thing that Far Guy was driving, If I had been in charge at that moment I would have made a U turn so fast my head would have spun totally around, I would have sped to the pharmacy and demanded that they print out new labels, double check their computer entry and print me out a signed and dated statement of their inability to perform simple tasks. Instead Far Guy just said "Calm down Sweetheart..I will give them a call." I have had it, someone is not doing their job. I only have two hands, I hold Far Guys hand all the time, then I have to hold the GPs hand too, and now the freaking pharmacist ? I DO NOT have any hands left. Someone has to let go..and soon.

Far Guy calls the Pharmacy, he has them check the script, they are sorry for the error, they will change it in their computer. SURE I have heard that before, who really trusts a computer anyway? I am really pissed by now.. Far Guy is polite. I am seething.. "What is her name? She better change it in the computer..there better not be another problem..last time we were 270 pills short..we better not be 540 pills short next time.. What was her name?? " Wanda..Wicked Wanda and Far Guy spoke to her at 3:02 PM on June 5. 2009. She better watch out too..I have a hatchet:(

Thanks for listening, I feel better now:)

Here are just a few links to older posts about our on going struggle with Trigeminal Neuralgia.

Trigeminal Neuralgia Feb 2008

Prescription Pains April 2008

Tip of The Iceberg July 2008

Far Guy and Trigeminal Neuralgia Sept 2008

Headed to the Home September 2008

Spring Snow

It has turned cold here, it froze a couple of nights, and friends in Canada report snow. I would not appreciate a spring snow...thank you very much.. all my Father's tomato plants froze.. ours are still warm and cozy inside Far Guys greenhouse/workshop. Area gardeners are getting discouraged..some have already planted their gardens twice..

Years ago I took a Woody Plants Identification Class. The secret to this class was knowing exactly how to spell all the scientific names..and knowing where the trees were located on campus. Lectures were given outside, trees were identified..the same trees were on the mid term and final exams. I always wrote in my notes..my observations..one of which was location..this came in very handy. I was always intrigued by the names. I ran across a Flowering Crabapple, Malus X 'Spring Snow' ..well I took the class fall semester..it was not until the following June that I really appreciated this tree. As I walked along, I could see the tree in the distance.. and it looked like it was snowing..in June. I stood directly under the tree and enjoyed the snow, from my view under the tree it was a real "Ta DA" moment.. I now understood it's name. Nice to finally meet you 'Spring Snow'. She is sterile, and produces no fruit, perfect along a sidewalk in town ..instead she produces huge white flowers, and when the wind blows it is just like a snowstorm. It is only a few days in June that she is noticed..

I am sure that there are many other varieties by now. There are so many flowering trees white, pink, rose and red flowered ones.. how do you keep them all straight? I eventually gave up, I just enjoy them for what they are..beautiful flowering trees.

I took some photos up in Bemidji the other day. Maddie and I were going through them. She asked "Grandma when did it snow?" It was not 'Spring Snow' but one of her relatives.

"It didn't snow Maddie, but it sure looks like it did. This is at the end of your driveway." She replied "It is? Way cool. I never noticed that, when I get back home I will have to look." :)

Madison Begins An Adventure

Our Granddaughter Madison or Maddie as we call her, except when she is in big trouble, which hardly ever happens, loves horses. She reminds me of her Mom and yes even of me when I was little. Maddie is eleven years old. Maddie lives for horses.."she needs a horse." Her Mom, our eldest daughter finally said "OK Maddie..lets get you some HORSE experience." She arranged a visit to my sisters, who is an accomplished horsewoman, Maddie will be spending this entire week at her farm, mucking stalls, and learning all about horses from the ground up..so to speak.. I am hoping that not too much ground activity will be happening. I was almost sixteen when my sister was born, she had horses growing up, she has a number of horses now. My sister and her daughter Toots who just graduated from high school will either make Maddie into a horse person for life or her dreams of horses will be dashed and forgotten.

We picked Maddie up on Friday evening, they live an hour north of us, and my sister lives about three and a half hours south and east. So Far Guy and I had an overnight visitor, Chance was in seventh heaven, one girl ALL to himself. He woke her up with kisses! We began our journey, Maddie was so excited, finally the day arrived that she had been looking forward to since way last winter. We began to see horses along the roads, in pastures, cows too but Maddie never pointed them out. We also saw deer, turkeys, a pheasant, a donkey, beefalo and llamas. Lots of road kill too, skunks, deer, porkypines, and raccoons, it is almost the full moon...I swear the animal kingdom gets all out of whack near a full moon. We took back roads the whole way, traffic on main roads is horrendous..tourists pulling boats, and campers. Besides that, you can't see the "real" Minnesota on the main roads.

We arrived at the graduation party, it was a double duty day.. drop off Maddie and to wish Toots the best of luck when she begins her college education at Bethel University in the fall. She wants to major in Elementary Education.. hopefully she will still want to pursue this interest after a week with Maddie. Toots is the last in the line of my ten nieces and nephews to graduate from high school. She also lives and breathes horses.

Maddie was shy when we first got there, clinging to me like a second skin. Finally, I got her to speak to another little girl, after a few minutes, they began to converse on their own. I am not so sure THAT was a great idea, as this little girl who I will call Gracie, has her very own horse. Her horse lives at her grandparents farm, and her grandmother sews her cute horsie skirts. Since her Dad is a Veterinarian, she has several dogs, cats, birds, a gecko, fish, and a hermit crab to go along with her horse. Oh and her Mom has horses too, at grandpa's farm. Maddies reaction to all this information..just one word "Sweet."

Maddie was anxious to meet the horses down in the barn. There were still a number of guests at the party, so instead, we met the two outside dogs, Bear and Hercules, we looked at the sheep in the pasture and took some flower photos. I borrowed Maddie one of my cameras for the week..it should be interesting to see her photos and listen to her stories. I told her to have fun, to listen to directions, and to stay safe. Far Guy and I left before she met the horses.

As Maddie's Grandmother, who just might be a bit overprotective, I wanted to shield her from all the things that go along with horses, the falls, the bumps, the bruises that turn every color of the rainbow and the sore toes, but I know that some of life's little lessons must be learned all on your own. Actually I had to do many "Whoa Grandma's" ..I was thinking..not my baby..what are her mother and my sister and my niece thinking..have they all gone mad?? Whoa Grandma:)

A Thousand Words: Sisters

Today I am launching a new series, It will be called A Thousand Words. It will only have one photo and may or may not be accompanied by words..but certainly way less than a thousand. It does not have a day like Wistful Wednesday and may show up at anytime. Whatever the case..I hope you enjoy it!

Big sisters are the crab grass in the lawn of life. ~Charles M. Schulz

A few weeks ago at the control burn, I happened to witness this scene unfolding before my very eyes. A high pitched squeal alerted me to a problem, luckily I had my camera ready to go and grabbed this quick shot of an altercation between two sisters who just happen to be my great nieces. Their Grandmother intervened..or perhaps I would have captured a knock down drag out fight! :)

Summer Schedule

It will be a busy summer, with lots of picnics and celebrations. Minnesota people tend to be a bit more social in the summertime. The long winters take their toll, so when summer comes we picnic like there is no tomorrow.

Several couples will be honored on their fiftieth year of wedded bliss. A High School Graduation. Far Guy's Uncle turns eighty. A blogger picnic in Fargo. Two family reunions. An F-4 reunion. The Firehall Fathers Day Picnic. No weddings so far, but today we received an invitation for a "death party" ..or maybe I should call it a celebration of life party. Will we go? Absolutely, we wouldn't miss it.

Sam, what a guy. He was our Jewish friend, he died back in March in St Louis, Missouri. The last time I saw him, I gave him a gentle hug, he was so very frail. Sam was 95 years old. Sam and I had many lively discussions about our faith over the years, me being Lutheran, he being Jewish. What came out of our relationship was a mutual admiration for each other. A friendship that I am much richer for, a friend with whom you could differ in opinion, but still respect the opinion and the friend. I will miss Sam, his hearty laugh and his sense of humor, his kind gentle manner. Sam was a World war II Veteran, a very educated man, he went to Yale, he was famous in his own right as the Director of The Jewish Center for the Aged in Missouri. Sam saw to the needs of and advocated for the elderly his entire life. Sam came a long way from the son of immigrant parents growing up on the lower east side of New York City. I told him one day, "Sam, you are a legend! " He laughed and said "Only in your mind, my dear, only in your mind." His marvelous sister in law Barbara will host the party, and Helen his lovely wife will be there, and Sam's friends..of which I am proud to be just one:)

Helen, Sam and Far Guy August 2008

What's Bloomin'

The Yellow Ladyslippers (Cypripedium parviflorum) were a little shy this spring. These are Far Guy's plants, it was his "wild idea" to grow them..he was successful. He has two bunches of them growing in what I now call the "Wildflower Gardens" a very wild weedy natural area. This year there were five blooms on one plant, and two on the other. . This plant is native to Minnesota. We also have them growing along the back drive, but those bloom much later as they are in deep shade.

Show me your bloom..please.

Nope not today either..still hiding.

TA DA! Finally! Slowpoke shy slippers anyway.

What else is blooming? The Trillium, no not a gorgeous thick bunch of them, but one very lonely Trillium growing along the edge of the woods. To tell you the truth, I appreciate this one small bloom every spring much more than if I had a whole forest full of them. If I had hundreds of them I would just take them for granted.

The Bleeding Hearts, no not the classic ones..instead..this little one with beautiful blue/green foliage. She is Dicentra exima..and she has a secret..if you water her and remove her spent flowers she will bloom all summer. If you are a lazy gardener like me, she will re seed all over..:)

Wistful Wednesday : 1951

This is a photo of Far Guy's big sister Jan. She had a birthday last week, she got older. This photo was taken in 1951 when she was six years old.

Far Guy's sister is a retired teacher and lives far far away in southern Indiana with her husband of 41 years, and a dog named Ernie ..he is a Silky Terrier. They have one daughter who is unmarried..so they are not grandparents yet.

She is a pretty good sister, she only dropped Far Guy on his head once when he was little. She is a good sister in law even though sometimes I irritate her with my blog...not with this one though, I never actually mentioned how old she is. She is a good aunt, and our children were both spoiled rotten by her. When they were little she would visit and read to them for hours.

I chose this photo, because I think it is really cute. I wondered about her blouse and the skirt with shoulder straps, were they "store bought" or "homemade" Far Guys Mom was a very accomplished seamstress. The fancy collar on the blouse could have been made by her maternal Grandmother, or it may have been purchased and attached to the blouse. I believe the buttons and their placement say "homemade." The wool skirt with straps, was very typical of the early 1950's and very fashionable back then. A proper slip was a necessity as wool would make you very itchy:)

Old Fashioned Lilacs

Finally, the Lilacs are blooming. They seemed to take forever this year with our cold windy spring.

The farm that I grew up on had a row of them along the drive, both white and purple. They formed an L to the south of the house, the dogs loved to dig holes under them and lay in the cool earth. I would pick bouquets and bring them into the house, usually the "Vase" was a water glass or a canning jar.

The lilacs supplied an endless amount of switches, when we miss behaved we were told to go out and get our own switch. Since I was a very stubborn, willful child I was a regular at the lilacs. One time I attempted to bring in a tiny little green wimpy switch..a very floppy one..that behavior didn't go over well either.

We don't have lilacs here in our yard. Far Guy tried to plant one here, it died. It seems everyplace we have lived our entire lives has been void of lilacs, we plant them, they grow and flower and then we move. So it is probably just as well that his attempt at lilacs was a failure.

When Far Guy was little he used the lilacs as a cover for escape, they were located at the end of the clothes line near the alley. When his Mother used to tie him to the clothes line, he would go over there and unclip himself, he would take off on wild neighborhood adventures and then return and clip himself back up again. Just like nothing had happened.

In Minnesota, if you watch the countryside carefully and see lilacs..they mark where old homesteads once were. Sometimes a few buildings remain..sometimes only the lilacs.

In recent years the "plant world" has released a number of new lilacs, there are early and late varieties, French ones and Canadian ones, ones that supposedly bloom all the way to the ground instead of just on top, even a re-bloomer called 'Josee'. I still like the old fashioned lilacs, however I have always been intrigued by a yellow blooming lilac called 'Primrose' ...has anyone ever heard of it? Remember to trim your lilacs right after the blossoms have faded! Lilacs bloom on "old wood" ..that means if you trim too much or too late in the season you will sacrifice next years flowers. Amazing isn't it..flower buds forming one year and blooming the next:)

Shells

I have a big Rubbermaid container out in my garage filled with shells from our last visit to Florida. I thought I might use them someday, I might make a seashell trimmed mirror or use them to make some sort of garden ornament. If I did not have them, I would be sure to need them. The problem is, even though I cleaned them with bleach, and let them dry in the warm Florida sunshine for weeks on the picnic table before I packed them away..they still stink..after more than ten years.

Last week on the loon Cam I watched one of the parent Loons clean out the nest, after one of baby loons had hatched, the loon took the remnants of the shell and took off with it in it's beak to deposit it in the water. According to some sources, this is a way to discourage predators from being attracted to the nest.

Far Guy and I noticed the Bluebirds one afternoon, busily feeding their babies, one time they left a worm, but went into the box and came out with something in their beak and flew west..no doubt to get rid of the shell in the woods.

Recently several of our friends that died chose cremation. A much older than me lady said "I came to say goodbye, one last time, but they aren't here." She was distressed, so we talked, about burial choices, and shells and how it isn't important what we do with the shell, because it is only our soul inside the shell that counts. I think/hope she was comforted in some small way.

I had a conversation with my Father also, basically he told me it's doesn't much matter, in a box or in a urn, you don't need the shell anymore. When I told him of my wish to be cremated, he kind of winced, and shivered all at the same time and said "EWW." Well, I then told him I really wished I was a Viking Princess.. the body ceremonially dressed and plopped into a boat, set adrift at sunset with many warriors shooting flaming arrows at the boat, the flames lighting the night, the sparks flying heavenward, the boat totally sunk by morning. He just shook his head and laughed.

We have a friend in Idaho, her parents were duck hunters, when they both met an untimely death, their ashes were incorporated into a set of duck decoys that reside in their living room. I hear that your ashes can be sent into space or incorporated into a living reef in Hawaii.

Whatever your persuasion about your shell, in a container, in the garage is not a great idea:)

Buffalo Gal and Bluebirds

Connections made through blogging with the right attitude can make a difference in your life. When I first began to blog, I told Far Guy, I just needed to write for the grand kids, so that they would know more about me someday if they cared to read my drivel. ( Someday when they are much older and more interested.) I also said that I would keep it real, and the truth as I know it or as I recall it. It had to be that way, for me. I was a blog reader before I became a blogger. Buffalo Gal the woman that inspired me to blog in the first place has become a friend. She might be a tad older than I am, but she is a very talented writer, I enjoy her style, and her stories! She has made me laugh and yes, she has made me cry too. She and her best friend whom she also just happens to be married to, visited with us on Friday afternoon. She knew I was going to be the real me, no makeup, no fancy outfit or shoes, I didn't thoroughly clean the house..but I did straighten up a bit. I did not weed my very wild naturally weedy perennial gardens. I like being me, and she is comfortable with that..thank goodness.

Buffalo Gal had never watched Bluebirds in the wild. Our set of Bluebirds seemed like such a small thing to share, so we invited them over, the Bluebirds busily kept feeding their babies while we feasted on homemade Buffalo Gal Rhubarb Custard Pie! I do appreciate a freshly baked pie, especially the first rhubarb of the season. She did share her pie crust secret with me..so in case I ever decide to bake a pie I will be prepared.

We had a lovely visit. I so enjoy their company, this would never have been possible..except for the fact that we are both "real" bloggers..my what you read is what you get attitude gained me a new friend. Let me tell you now- a- days everyone needs as many friends as they can get. This was the second time we have met, we are looking forward to a get together at their place on the Buffalo Bluff later in the summer. She reports that Chance is just as special in person as he is on my blog. I knew he would like her, he thought she was a wonderful ball thrower!

The blogging community, should you ever decide to join it, is a very interesting way to make new friends. That may seem foreign to some of the readers..but I know the bloggers understand! If you are lucky enough to actually meet a fellow blogger face to face, and still like each other your life will be just a little richer, and if they bake a great pie, that is an added bonus:)

Chance : On Looking Handsome

Thanks for voting last week, these are the photos that Far Side entered in the photo contest at the local animal shelter. You all did great, and Far Sides conundrum was solved!

You know it is not easy looking handsome...sometimes it is impossible.

The weather has been so windy that I had some serious fly away hair...

Just when I think I might have pulled off my best sidewalk walk, twirl and sit shoot. I am told, "You have eye boogers dude. It is a really good photo except for your boogers." Well ya know, it is not all my fault sometimes when you have boogers..you don't know it. Who is in charge anyway? Fix it, Fix it..Quick, Quick, Quick don't you have Photoshop??? DO SOMETHING! My sister is well known for the Quick, Quick, Quick saying...she is famous in Far Guys and Far Sides minds for just those three words.

Far Side says "It is not a perfect photo, too many shadows and your ear is funny, one eye is sleepy lookin, I must try harder to make you look perfect dude." It is much better...the eye boogers are all gone. I hope she feels better now. Where do those eye boogers really go anyway?? What are you supposed to do with them? Far Guy usually just wipes them on his pants leg. Far Side uses a Kleenex..if you have eye boogers what do you do with them? :)

Tale of Two Casts

Adam broke his elbow last week, he got to have a blue cast. He was jumping on the trampoline and landed wrong. Luckily he did not require surgery. He was still feeling some pain last weekend when they were here. He was quiet..well quieter than normal. He has to have the cast for four weeks. My arm has been having sympathy pain for him all week...casts are just miserable. They are heavy, they are itchy, they are hot.

Adam, our youngest grandson.

I have had my share of casts, no fun. The last time I had a cast was in 1989 ( knock on wood), I stepped off a step and I broke the fifth metatarsal in my left foot, I went to the Doctor and they x-rayed and casted me....it hurt like heck. It was early spring, I got out my ever faithful crutches and hobbled along, I was not supposed to bear any weight on it. Fine, I am an old hand at this, I can clean cabins on crutches and scrub floors on my butt, I can even drive since it is my left foot. ( Sometime I may tell you about the time I had my right leg in a cast..and tried to drive. LOL) I have had many casts..I am a klutz. The one thing I missed was the ability to get places fast, so I became a pro on the lawn mower, and it worked just fine as long as I remembered to put in some gas, and take my crutches along.

Resort 1989

One afternoon after school I needed to go down to the docks to mow the lawn, I told our then teenage daughters where I was going. Of course the four Shelties followed me, they followed me everywhere. Wouldn't you know it, I forgot my crutches, at the house, on the sidewalk.. I mowed for awhile .. I ran out of gas. I just sat there on the mower, no boats are on the lake, no neighbors are out in their paddle boats or on their docks, it is quiet. I holler for the girls, which just makes the Shelties bark. HELP! TRICA! JENNIFER! ANYBODY! No one is hearing me. I hop to the dock on my one good foot, laid down to rest, and mull over my options, the dogs and I could paddle around the lake in a boat, I could just wait for Far Guy to come home from work, I could wait for a neighbor to come along, I could wait for my children to miss me.. I had a nap. Sometimes I do that when I get all stressed out, some people pace and fret.. ( I couldn't have paced anyway, I suppose I could have hopped while fretting. ) I had a nice nap, when I woke up I tried encouraging the dogs to get help, they were worthless, they just licked my face and whined. I hollered again for help and the dogs barked. I thought briefly about hopping on one foot up that steep hill, and then down the other side to the house... but I am a klutz. I thought about crawling home on my hands and knees.. I decided to just wait for a bit. . the girls should be getting hungry, they know their Father will be home soon, they should be noticing that I am not cooking anything. Supper is at 6 :15 to 6 :20 every night, there are no excuses to be absent, it is the only time of the day we are all together as a family. Well Far Guy finally came home, the dogs take off barking, he notices my crutches on the sidewalk, he asked the girls where I went.."OH to the docks a long time ago, funny shes not back by now, she should be cooking supper." Far Guy rescued me, he brought me my crutches and then some gas. A few weeks later I decided I had enough of that miserable cast, so I climbed into the bathtub filled with warm water and proceeded to cut the thing off with a scissors.. Far Guy had to come to my rescue that time too..except with a pair of side cutters and a tin snips. The Doctor probably never would have noticed either, except I got a really bad case of poison ivy from my dogs, and had to go into his office.. He said "Where's your cast?" UMMM.. in the garbage. My fifth metatarsal healed just perfectly too..the x-rays confirmed it:)

Noah is Ten!

Ten years ago early one morning our first grandson was born, Far Guy and I missed his birth, but as we walked into the maternity ward, a small baby was screaming while he was getting his very first bath by his Father..yup that was our grandson! He was perfect! I had very little baby boy experience since 1960 when my baby brother was born, I do have nephews but they all lived far away when they were little. Noah has taught me many things... about diaper changing, the BOY way, playing cars and trucks, and making funny vehicle noises. That little boys will crawl up any ladder, they will spend hours trying to drive the lawn tractor, that you can't leave keys in anything..because they are so mechanically inclined..they know the sequence of starting the three wheeler. Little boys are an adventure waiting to happen!

Far Guy and Noah in July of 1999

My how he has grown, he is going to be one tall dude! This is our daughter, Jen and Noah. Do you suppose he will surpass his Mother in height by the end of the summer? At 5'8" (I think..what kind of Mom doesn't know exactly how tall her child is?) Jen is no short person. She is a couple of inches taller than me and I used to be 5'6"... I asked Far Guy.. He said " IS she taller than you?" Anyway, I predict that this child will be eating them out of house and home soon, as he continues to grow like a weed! He finally added one more vegetable to his list..he will now eat green beans, along with his other favorite vegetables corn and raw carrots. This is a milestone..for a very fussy eater. I asked how he is doing with peas..still can't get them down..just like his father. Noah is trying more new foods all the time, he no longer just refuses to try. He is growing up!

You never get too old, or too tall for a kiss from your Mom! Happy Birthday Noah! :)

Wistful Wednesday : 1959

This is a photo taken in 1959, my brother, Arvilla (our wonderful neighbor lady, whose farmhouse I wrote about yesterday), Carla (her daughter) and me. My Mother took this photograph, It was taken in our living room on the farm. It must have been winter time, as I am wearing flannel lined jeans and slippers. I remember that western style shirt that my brother was wearing, my Mom had sewed it for him. The dolls must have been just visiting with Carla.

In 1957, there was a brand new grade school built in our nearby town, I was so disappointed, you see we lived just down the road from the old country school, I would be able to walk all by myself! Then they went and built the new school and I had to take the bus. But they we very smart people and hired Arvilla as the hot lunch cook. She greeted all the school children by name in the lunch line. Needless to say hot lunch was out of this world, everything was tasty, and you could never disappoint her so you always gave new foods and recipes a try.

When I was in first grade, I had to have my tonsils out. I couldn't eat normal food, so Arvilla would heat me up some soup in the kitchen and I got to have my lunch on one of her stools in the kitchen. She also saved jello and soft foods for me to eat. I may have had a very sore throat for quite a few more days than necessary ..just because I loved being in the kitchen with her! :)

Loons eggs are hatching!

Today in Minnesota, one loon egg has hatched and we are waiting on the other egg to hatch..the new baby loon is a fuzzy ball on the nest with his or her parents. Here is the Link! :)

The Neighbors Farmhouse

It was a landmark, the big white farmhouse with the big red barn and a windmill. The lonely house stood empty. Memories are all that remain. The children all grown with grandchildren of their own. The old timers both now gone one to heaven and one to the nursing home.

They moved from Nebraska back in 1954, to the big old house, full of hope and possibility. We welcomed them as neighbors. They were friends of my parents, when my Mother went to work at the Osage Boat Factory their house became the daycare home for my brother and I .. and the lovely lady became our "Second Mom." Through the years, they have welcomed us back to the neighborhood twice, we lived across the road from them when we lived at the resort, presently we live just down the road. You couldn't have asked for better neighbors.

Cookies warm from the oven, kids to play with, warm loving hugs.

A piano on the porch, playing hopscotch in the yard, a windmill turning.

A claw foot bathtub, fun in the girls room, memories made.

Laughter, old stories, blueberry pies, cookies made with lard and egg coffee.

Red Christmas doilies, Christmas bread braided, warm cinnamon rolls and a pickle in the Christmas tree.

Church quilts, a precious white puppy and plants in the kitchen window.

Tango red geraniums, pretty plates, Cardinals, and orange begonias.

Buttercup squash and cucumbers, jars of pickles shared, recipes freely given.

Coffee is always on, the door is always open, the sweet voice always hollers "Come on in" Welcoming hugs. Then silence..

The house, had stood for 109 years. It had served its occupants well, it was time to move on.
On Saturday it was used as a control burn for the local Fire Department to train firefighters. For many young firefighters this was their first time being inside a burning house.

Early Monday morning, the elderly gentleman was called home. It is the end of a generation. The windmill keeps turning, the next generation is in place. Wonderful neighbors they are, part of the family that moved from Nebraska so long ago. You couldn't ask for better neighbors:)

Photos from Saturday May 23, 2009

Decoration Day

Old people called it "Decoration Day." The day in May set aside to strew flowers on soldiers graves. The day to pause and think about the white crosses spread all over Europe. To honor all servicemen and women who "gave their all."

Now we are encouraged to stop for one full minute of remembrance at 3 PM. Somehow sometime someplace something got all messed up...perhaps if we spent just one full minute communicating with a child about the importance of this tradition of decorating soldiers graves we would make more of a dent. Perhaps if they visited a graveyard and just appreciated the tiny flags flying in the breeze...:)