Wistful Wednesday: The Farm

Far Guys Paternal Grandparents were  farmers.  They began farming on this farm in 1916( I think..I hope I have that year correct.)

I am not sure what year this aerial photo was taken.  I found this photo in one of the albums that I scanned last winter.  It was either spring or fall when this photo was taken.  The trees along the drive were small..they were either Elms or Ash and I remember them as large trees that were taken down one by one.

Far Guy said “Where is the outhouse?”

Barn, pigpen, machine shed, chicken coop with the white trim and the outhouse(little tiny white building) and a garage.

If the outhouse had been moved from it’s spot behind the house then the claw foot bath tub and the stool and sink must have been working! Grandma had a window in her bathroom, you could sit on the stool and look out the window.

Look at the big garden space out behind the house. Grandma grew enough vegetables for everyone in the family.  When you stepped outside the back step in the spring air the smell of lily of the valley and then lilacs would greet you.  Later in June the Lady Slippers would be blooming next to that step.

Lots of good memories tied up in this place. Boys left for school, work and war from this home.  They brought back their wives and children, who it turn brought their children.  We can still go over to the farm and visit.  It is still in the family Far Guy’s Uncle lives there:)

Trillium and Weather

The woods are coming alive with the warm temperatures.  It was almost 80 degrees yesterday.

The Trillium are blooming. Trillium are native to Minnesota.

They gladly share their space with another native plant the Large Flowered Bellwort.

( the yellow bloom above )

Far Guy’s Trillium is up and blooming and sharing with a two legged spider..well that’s all I see.. he could have more legs.  I did not notice him until I downloaded the photo:)

The weather is weird..not much for rain..what happened to the weather of long ago when it rained for weeks on end.  Cloud bursts of rain..the girls and I would play barefoot in the rivers that flowed down the driveway and watch out for the snapping turtles that would be chased out of the lake by the rains.  One year at the resort we had a big old snapping turtle next to our step during a rain. I recall dogs barking and girls screaming…Far Guy chased the mean old turtle back into the lake.  That house had a leaky roof in the hallway..so buckets and towels had to be put on the floor every time it rained. I don’t miss that.

Last night there was a bit of a rainbow in the sky..but it was just like a broken little piece of rainbow.

Strange, I have seen sun dogs in the winter on cold days but never sun dogs on a day when it was 80 F or 26C :)

May 14 2012

Far Guy’s Lilac is about to bloom.

This year it will have more than two blooms!  Pay no attention to the dandys showing their sunny yellow color in the bottom of the photo.

I got my voice back yesterday..well partially back. I still sound strange..like a frog.   So far Far Guy has escaped this virus.

We had supper out with Jen, Andy and the boys and enjoyed their company on Saturday evening.  Far Guy and I went grocery shopping and went to Dairy Queen for a Cherry Sundae for Mother’s Day.. then I had a three hour nap…and then I watched the Survivor finale. So it was a good weekend despite my not feeling so hot.

I have school tours to give at the museum this week..First Graders..hope my voice holds out.  One thing nice about First Graders is that you can keep the tour simple.  I haven’t figured out how I will manage 40 first graders at once yet..or how many groups I will be able to split them into depending on how many volunteers I round up. Ten kids per group would be great..these are out of town first graders with a whole hour to spend at the museum…what fun:)

Happy Mother’s Day

If you have a mom, there is nowhere you are likely to go where a prayer has not already been. ~Robert Brault

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms, Mother In Laws and Aunties out there!

This is a photo of my Mom and I taken 60 years ago.

My Mom is still struggling with some pain from her fractured pelvis back in December.  However she is much better and she can walk without assistance, and she can finally sleep more than a couple hours at night.

Happy Mother’s Day Mom I wish you a year with no pain:)

My Pheasant and Furs

This was gifted to me by a woodcarver who is also a taxidermist.  He was going to toss this old mount out.  It is a perfect addition to my office.

There are so many thing inside the museum that children cannot/are not supposed to touch.  An open invitation to touch something always brings about a smile.

This old pheasant is kinda ugly..but I appreciate having something  just for kids.

Our new President wrote a grant for paint.  My beautiful blue office may be eggshell after a coast of primer and a few coats of paint sometime this summer.

I have a collection of furs just for children to touch.

That big black round thing is a muff, the little girls like to see how girls long ago kept their hands warm.  A muff was on my wish list..and when I made a public plea for one that children could touch..one appeared the next day in a bag of odds and ends that was hidden in the Clerk Office.  JoLynn donated trim from an old coat of her relatives..buffalo I think.  I found some mink at a flea market and a seal.  We also have a bit of a wolf hide that was a cuff on a coat, a piece of beaver and a white tail deer tail..oh and a Partridge Fan.  I keep these valuable furs on a shelf at little kid height in my office.

I sent Far Guy in to work for me yesterday..I awoke with no voice.  Chance and I had several long healing naps and homemade soup for lunch..I am sure I will be all better soon.  One more day and I have two off! :)

Spring Blooms

The Marsh Marigold/Cowslips are blooming.  They are native plants that bloom early in the spring.

They are found along streams or in marshy wet areas. They are one of the signs that winter is finally behind us.

I caught a bad cold, what is worse I have lost my voice.  I can whisper…no one can hear me..well except for Chance ..he has really good hearing.  I went to work with half a voice yesterday and came home with no voice.   Far Guy can fill in for me at the museum if need be.  He is all trained in and ready to rock and roll.  I made him part of my contract this year so that I can occasionally have a day off:) 

Hairs

I used to wear my hair up all the time.  Then last fall I got it cut rather short and it is just now growing out long enough to get in a pony tail.  I gathered it all up in a chignon the other day.

What did I notice?  A hair on my neck.  More specifically one hair on my neck that made a nice curl.  A L.O.N.G. curl.  I was horrified.  How long have I had this long hair on my neck?  Who noticed it?  Why didn’t they say something..like excuse me but do you curl that long hair on your neck every day or is that just a natural curl? OR  Far Side lets measure that hair on your neck and see how long it is now..it sure has grown since the last time I noticed it.  No one said anything. Nothing.

I swear that hair was four inches long.  So this is just a friendly reminder to all you old ladies out there..walk run to the nearest mirror and check out your neck. I plucked mine..and whilst I was at it I inspected my entire neck for others that might be popping up ready to embarrass me.

For a number of years I have known about the one rotten little hair on my chin that grows fast..I call it my whisker..because it is stiff and wire like.  I tweeze that one on a regular basis..sometimes I yank it out between my fingernails.

Now I have a another problem to add to the mess.  I have an ingrown hair inside my nose.  My nose feels like it is twice the normal size and it hurts and throbs along with my pulse.  I asked Far Guy to tweeze the offending hair in my nose last night..I put hot water packs on it ( A hot wash cloth covered my finger that I put up my nose)  He said “Do you know you have thousands of nose hairs?”   “Yes, I know just tweeze some of them in the area I point to”   ..so he held a flashlight up to my nose and tweezed away.

Getting older is not for sissies:)

Wistful Wednesday : 1880

Recently I was contacted about a blog post that I wrote about Far Guys Grandmother’s family.   A cousin found me, and could remember coming to this area and visiting when he was little.

This cousin..is not really a long lost cousin. I think we all have cousins out there that we just have not taken the time to connect with. Anyways..I am so glad he found me. He had an old tintype of Far Guys Great Grandparents.  He shared with us, and I shared some old photos with him.

I wonder what life was really like for these two young people in 1880.  They were living on a farm with Louisa’s widowed mother and six small children ages 12 to 2.  Louisa’s father was a Civil War Veteran and he died in May of 1879.  Another child Cassie close to Louisa’s age appears in the 1870 census but not the 1880 census…I wonder what happened to Cassie?

Great Grandma Louisa and Great Grandpa Louis. They were married on February 5 1880. I suspect that this photo was taken right around that time.  I can see a resemblance to Far Guys Grandmother in her fathers face..and that head of hair..lets just say it must have been a recessive gene because none of Far Guys uncles or cousins have that amount of hair.

Louis and Louisa were both born in Jefferson County Missouri. He in 1854 and she in 1860. They went on to have fourteen children with one set of twins.  One of Grandmas favorite sayings was “The first baby can come along at any time, but all the rest take nine months.” I wonder if she heard that from her mother.  Their first child appeared in August of 1880..a mere six months after their marriage.

They lived a long life.  They settled in Minnesota in 1914. She died in 1929 at the age of 69 and he died in 1932 at the age of 78. 

In Grandma’s diaries she calls them Mama and Papa and sometimes Daddy. I am almost done transcribing the diary that Grandma kept in part of 1911, 1912 and 1913:)

Foxy

This must be the year of the Fox.  In the past week we observed two foxes.  The fox population must be on the rise.  Luckily I had my camera ready.

This one looked healthy..well more healthy than the one with the bum leg.  The pups if they have any should be out and about soon.  A Red Fox can have between five and ten pups.

Chance waited to bark until I said “Okay, I have the photo.”  What a good boy he is when we are out and about! :)

Dressing up

A little girl turning four should have a few new items to dress up in.

Shoes she can clomp around the house in.

A new hat that makes everyone smile. ( Yes. I think she stuck out her tongue at me on purpose.)

And an Uncle that will give you his hat and wear your tutu on his head just because you are four!

I cannot believe our Great Niece Aubrey is four already!   Yesterday it was all about princess/girly girl things complete with some of those new pink Legos just for girls, Dora the Explorer jammies, a princess movie, dress up clothes,  make up and Zoobles.  Zoobles are a little creatures in a ball shape.  When you drop them, they spring to life..wings and legs pop out, it is an ingenious design.  Aubrey had a fun party afternoon!

Keep smiling Aubrey and Happy Birthday! :)

Museum: Wedding Dress

This is one of many wedding dresses in the museum.  This one is not your usual wedding dress.

Here is the info.

1918 Campfire Design

Huh?

I did a quick search and found no wedding dress design called Camp Fire.  I will have to dig deeper. The vesty looking satin part drapes beautifully and has great lines.

I spent some time in the Toggery yesterday..making sure photos were turned right side up and everything was in it’s proper place.  I could spend a week in this room.  Everything should be moved and cleaned under and around. There are boxes and even some old suitcases shoved under displays that contain clothing. And hat boxes galore…I really need a volunteer to adopt this room too!  Someone who is as energetic and excited as Tom my Library Volunteer..he showed up every morning this past week!

I am tired, one week down twenty-one to go.  It was a long week, and cool.. most visitors didn’t stay too long. Yesterday I sat outside for a bit..it was warmer outside than inside and it was only 60 degrees outdoors:)

Visit to Black Swan Cooperage

A few evenings ago Far Guy and I had a date.  We like to see how things are done…I guess you could say we are a curious sort.

A cooper makes barrels. They are artisans. The photos and descriptions that follow are only the highlights of making a wooden barrel.

A stack of White Oak staves…they get most of their wood from Pennsylvania.

Barrel making is no small process..I was impressed.

Barrels before they get soaked in hot water for about 15 minutes.

Hot water barrel on the left.  Cable squeezing together the staves.

I really enjoyed this fellow who was charring the barrels. Barrels can be charred or toasted depending on what will enhance the flavor of whatever is stored in the barrel.  It was quite obvious that this fellow enjoyed his job.  He worked outside in a special trailer with a ventilation system.

The guys make their own bread dough to help seal up the barrel head. They put the bread dough in the croze which is the groove in the barrel where the barrel head rests.  The bread dough helps to keep the barrel sealed until the wood has swelled properly to create its own seal.

It was a great tour..Far Guy knew several of the workers.

This is a family run business.  I am not sure of the entire story..but this little gal and her faithful companion “Whiskey” talked the rest of the family into the cooperage business. I believe her father was a cooper at some time in his life.

In this day and age when many family run business are closing their doors it is refreshing to see a new business up and thriving.  You can visit Black Swan Cooperage web site for more technical information:)

All about Thursday on Friday

Left the Clinic with tears on my face.  Damn mammogram.  I understand that it saves lives, but when it is so painful because they have to squish you flat as a pancake and you turn black and blue and purple perhaps the test is just not worth it anymore.  Many women say  “Oh it doesn’t hurt.”  We good for them..that has never been my case..ever..in three or four weeks the bruising will be gone.

I had to get up extra early to be at the clinic before a busy spring cleaning day at the museum.  Many volunteers showed up..some windows were washed..dusting and vacuuming was done..and the Gift Shop inventoried.  No not everything was accomplished. No one scrubbed the bathroom or kitchen floors. I will get around to it sooner or later.  The local recycling Salvage Depot showed up to take some non artifact things off our hands, an old sofa that was avocado green velvet from the 1970’s, a number of swivel chairs, some old doors and sheetrock left over from a repair.

We had a potluck lunch!  Our new president is a Chef.  He made the best cake. I will share the recipe someday.  You mix it and bake it all in the same pan, and it was warm when he brought it over.  I have asked him for the recipe for the May Newsletter (which I have not begun working on.)

Everyday brings in more items to be **accessioned..I have three piles of “stuff” on my desk that is growing and seems to be taking on a life of it’s own.   Everyone is so excited that the museum is open!!  Have something old..why not take it into the museum and pile it on the directors desk!  **Everything that comes in gets a donation form, a number assigned, a photo, it gets entered into the computer system and put in its permanent spot within the museum and THEN a formal thank you is sent.

Far Guy and I had a date night..it was fun to just do something different.  We went to a local business that was having an open house, they gave tours of their facility and served beer, pulled pork sandwiches, cole slaw, chips and cake.  We passed on the beer and the cake.

The Flowering Crabs (Crabapples) are blooming in town.  Photographing them was my reward for not passing out during the mammo:)

Hi Ho Hi Ho

It’s off to work I go.  Same old same old..tis a bit chipper in the building 48 degrees.  As long as I keep moving I am just fine.  If I sit down for too long I start to shiver.  I have my parka and my winter boots stashed in my office.

There is no heat or air conditioning in the building and there are no plans to put any in the building.  It is a historic building.   The Board has no plans to make the building handicap accessible either.  I may not be the right person to get them to look forward enough to a new building in a new location..one with heat and air conditioning and handicap accessibility…and a future.

I got a new Volunteer..his name is Tom and he loves books and he volunteered to organize the vault that is filled with books in no particular order.  He began sorting!

I have spent the last few days cleaning up my office and making my work space cleaner and tidy. AND solving small problems.  Note to self..when it is 20 below zero and you drop bags of “stuff” off in the office and say well I will worry about that next spring..next spring really does come.  I got the phones working..and I hooked up the computer all by myself and only got two wires mixed up…once I got them straightened out I had internet service.  My computer only quit on me once and the printer only crapped out twice so it was a good day in the trenches.

My Prunus triloba ‘multiplex’ is putting on quite a show. This was how it looked a few days ago.

Yesterday was a nice day and the blooms opened.  When I got home from work Far Guy said “What is that tree that is blooming?”   It really is a shrub..I should trim it after it blooms. Oh yeah..most other people would call this shrub a Double Flowering Plum. It is one of the shrubs that I sold a long time ago when we had the Greenhouse business..I only picked the prettiest hardiest shrubs for our area and this one fit the bill:)

Wistful Wednesday: May Day

I grew up celebrating May Day. Making baskets and delivering them to the neighbors.

This is an old photo of me..I would have been almost 20 months old.  My first May Baskets.

The deliveries went well.  Far Guy and Chance went along!  These children are my Great Nieces and Nephews!

Skittles and Fruit Roll ups were inside the Bees!

Far Guy asked the kids “What day is today?”  The reply “The day we get candy!”

The  girls knew right away that it was May Day!  Because they had a previous May Basket delivery a few minutes before we arrived.

I was making the baskets one evening when Alaska Guy was here visiting..he asked “What in the world are you making?”  I replied May Baskets he said “Gosh that was fun when we were little.”  Adam and Noah were visiting over the weekend..Adam said “Whatcha making Grandma?”  I said “May Baskets”  He said “My Mom likes to make them too.”  So next year God willing and the creek don’t rise we will celebrate May Day again! I hope you all had a wonderful May Day! :)

Fields

The fields were full of activity last night.  They were moving equipment with back up alarms to the field across from our driveway.  Irritating.  I was trying to enjoy a quiet evening playing ball with Chance.   Then we both smelled smoke.  A half mile from here they are burning huge brush piles.  The native prairie and several windrows of trees have been annihilated to make way for an irrigator and long french fries that stand up in the box. They have been burning piles of brush the past four or five days. I took this photo the other day when the wind was from the east..yesterday the wind was from the west and we were getting the smoke smell. It is so dry..I wonder how they got a permit to burn..but then again perhaps corporate farmers are above the rules.

The smoke smell was nothing to worry about.  We need rain. It is very dry.

We saw some critters..

Then we saw our neighbor working in his fields.

I saw the beef cattle in the corner of the pasture..two of them were staring off into the field..strange.

It isn’t normal to see a fox like this.  He had an injured back leg..perhaps from a run in with the beef cattle.  Chance barked at him.  The fox ran and the beef cattle ran too. Strange.  It was like they were chasing the fox.

He took off at a pretty good clip..limping but still running. 

After that we saw some Canada Geese and then we came home.  We enjoyed our ride through the neighborhood looking at all the fields:)