Happy 4th of July

 We are sticking close to home for the 4th.   Too many people out and about.  We will probably go for a ride on Ranger Blue sometime during the day. 

Our neighbors have the spirit! 

I hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th of July.

Far Side  

July in Minnesota

 Far Guy says that half the summer is over when we get past the 4th of July.   I suppose that is true for people and kids that go back to school in mid August. 

Our weather has been wonderful the past few days, in the 70's during the day and cools off into the 50's at night.  

I can carve wood, I tried one of the Christmas ornaments yesterday.  My thumb was/is sore but I can do it.  Not sure how much I can help with the carving this year.  So I went off on my lawn tractor to kill poison ivy...great entertainment!  I was so thankful not to see the skunk family that she who sees robins first saw in her driveway.   The poison ivy is very tall this year...some of it is three feet tall. 

Town is a mess...tourists all over the place. One grocery store was out of mustard, peanut butter and soy sauce.  People are just nuts with their aggressive driving...a motorcycle passed us on a curve and I was going the speed limit. 

So far the lake people are quiet with fireworks.  Usually we hear fireworks every night the week before the 4th and the week after the 4th.  Maybe the skeeters are making life miserable for them too! 

I made potato salad yesterday one of my favorite summer foods.   Far Guy has not lost his cooking mojo...he made spaghetti:) 

Bunting over at my baby brother and his bride's home.  They celebrated 44 years of marriage this week.

Far Side

Bass Lake

 We took the trails over to Bass Lake one evening.

We saw a partridge getting gravel from the road ( no photo), a turtle looking to lay some eggs in the road and a few deer when we got closer to home. 

Can you find the turtle?  She was about a half a mile from a lake. 

I believe we saw six deer that evening.

Yesterday Far Guy wood carved and I sprayed Poison Ivy and Thistle.  Freezer food was supper...Far Guy had Seafood Gumbo with Wild Rice and I had Chili.  Nice to have individual servings frozen to warm up when we have a night off of cooking!  The Butcher Shop in town has really good pork chops we had those one night with sweet potatoes and green beans.  I seem to have lost my cooking mojo....I hope Far Guy doesn't lose his:)

Far Side

Barn Demolition

 My other baby brothers Construction Company did the barn demolition.  My Nephew Josh was in charge. 

Josh called me when they were all set to take the barn down. 

Roger the present owner of the barn taking photos. 

The Border Collie Annie was supervising.  She came to visit us and jumped in Ranger Blue.   She was very curious of the goings on.

Barb and the Day Care kids watching. 

Josh did a great job, it was fun to watch him work.  He saved the hay trolly and the rail that was in the roof of the barn. 

A new barn will replace the old barn, I heard it will look like the old barn but without a hay mow.

Far Side

Old Barn

 I believe the barn was built in the late 1930's or early 1940s by the Lemon family ( a brother to Far Guys maternal Grandmother (Clara Almeada) lived there his name was Loren Lemon and his wife was Florence Graham Lemon.

My parents purchased the farm in the spring of 1952 when my Dad returned from Korea. 

Me and the barn in about 1953 or 1954.

Ten years later in 1964.

Me, my other baby brother and my baby brother in 1964.

I have taken a number of photos of the barn over the years. 

November 2021...I wondered if the barn would make the winter if there was heavy snow so I took a photo. 

May 14, 2022  It made the winter but began to sag. 

Last week the wind storm that we had finally got the better of the barn.

June 25th 2022. 

Yesterday we watched as the barn came completely down.  The barn held lots of memories for me growing up on the farm. Mostly good memories of hard work.  My earliest memory is loose hay stacked on a wagon ready to go into the hay mow, and of course the Banty Roosters chasing me. 

Far Side

Busy Days

 

Jen called and wanted to meet with me so I could get a key to the new gathering place.  She wanted to meet at Hobby Lobby an hour North. I quickly called my baby brothers bride as she likes Hobby Lobby also...poor gal only had about five minutes to get ready! I spent the morning in Hobby Lobby (yes yarn may have been purchased) and the afternoon sitting with my Dad...we watched TV ( Heartland on Netflix) and had a number of naps.  Mom was shopping in Fargo North Dakota with cousin Geraldine for a new sewing machine.  

I got home about 7:30 luckily I had put steak in the crock pot for steak enchiladas...and I should have taken a photo as they were really good. 

I think this might be a 1955 Chevy.

Far Guy joined the local car club...they have cruise nights every Tuesday...so we may give that a whirl next week. 

Far Side

Whats new

 The area West of us that was clear cut had huge piles of brush so that very windy day they decided to burn it.

We could smell the smoke outside for a couple of days.  Then it rained...

Our oldest Grandson Noah has pneumonia in one lung, they gave him IV antibiotics in the Emergency Room and we hear he was feeling much better on Monday. 

Our second oldest Granddaughter Maddie got a job in Grand Forks North Dakota, she and her husband and the little ones are moving late this week from Michigan.   It will be good to have them closer! 

Jen and Andy and another couple that they have known for a long time formed a partnership and bought a building ( previously a Town Hall converted into a residence) in a small lake town.  It is really a cute place, I helped do some cleaning and painting there.  Right now it sleeps 13 plus people and has three bathrooms.  It has room for expansion in the loft and in the basement.  The part they are using now is 5,000 plus square feet. They will use it for a craft retreat and a gathering place.   Jen's annual Craft Retreat will be held there this Fall.   It is an hour drive from our home.  Far Guy went along one day and he and oldest Grand Savannah put together some craft carts.  Fun to see Jen and Andy tackle a project. 

Far Side

Blooms

 The Minnesota State Flower the Showy Lady's Slipper is in full bloom. 

Such a beautiful flower.

We enjoy seeing them in the wild.  In this area you could see them way far back into the woods. 

I mowed the yard again, Far Guy picked up twigs and did some trimming around trees.  It was a chilly, windy day.  It didn't make 70 F all day. 

Far Side

Stormy NIght and Moths

 We had a very stormy Friday night, the phones went off with Tornado warnings.  It blew and rained really hard, we got about 1 1/2 inches of rain, actually my rain gauge said 2 inches of rain but my brothers say we didn't get that much and my gauge is faulty ( It probably comes off the roof somewhat) 

We have leaves and twigs in the yard, my brothers both had trees that blew down.  

Most of the twigs will get chopped up by the lawn mower.  I picked up some of the larger branches. 

We had some interesting moths. 

A female Automeris IO Moth...she probably laid all her eggs and came to the wreath outside our door to die.  They only live a couple of weeks.

We had a bunch of these white moths...I killed most of them...this is the only one that escaped ...then I found out that white moths are a sign of good luck. 

I think it may be a Virginia Tiger Moth but I am not certain. 

After the storms our weather turned cool again.   It may have gotten up to 70 F yesterday...it was delightfully cool and windy. 

Far Side

Peony

 My Peonies had a good Spring and early Summer with adequate rain! 

I have three plants, all from neighbor Jo years ago.  Ruby, Pink and White.   The white one has not bloomed yet. 

Ants are always present. 

Years ago I recall this time of year the ladies would bring bouquets of peonies to church on Sunday mornings and the church smelled so good!   I suppose they don't "do" that anymore...too bad.   

Far Side

Tomatoes

 The tomato plants are really growing! 

This is the Roma tomato plant and it is flowering and has small tomatoes! 

Yellow Pear tomato on the left Roma on the right.   The Yellow Pear is also flowering and has tomatoes forming. 

The sheep watering tank works great, the South side of my garage is the perfect spot against the steel building the tomatoes stay toasty warm!   The dog fence keeps out the deer...so far anyway. 

We should have tomatoes mid July!  

Far Side 

Last of the Lilacs

 My Late Lilac had some very nice blooms this year.  Sadly the heat did them in a few days ago. 

I had a good day. I sprayed some Thistle and some Poison Ivy.  Saw just one deer standing on a dirt pile reaching for branches.  The Poison Ivy is growing really fast and tall this year...I need it out of the edge of the woods where I mow. 

Far Guy and I went on a parts run for my other baby brother to Fargo ND.  Talk about traffic...I am not sure I could ever live there again.  We lived in Moorhead MN just across the river from Fargo from 1970-1972, 1974 - 1986 and then in Harwood ND ( North of Fargo) from 1996-1998. 

Have you heard the old joke?  One guy said to the other "Where are you going?"  Second guy replies "Far go"  First guy says "Moor head."

Far Side

Happy Summer

 The other night we took out Ranger Blue and sat in our old driveway and watched the storm roll in. 

Rain and some wind.   It was entertaining. 

When it was so hot I worked on putting together some cards.  I have many of the watercolor/stamps all colored. (last winter I colored many while keeping an eye on Sadie)  I just need to trim them to size and audition mat colors and envelopes and assemble them.   I finished about 25 cards and there are still more that I could do.  

Far Guy has all the blanks cut out for the woodcarved Christmas Ornaments.  He has begun carving. 

It was cooler and windy yesterday after the storms...temperatures were only 77 F or 25 C for a high, but we are headed back up to hot again soon. 

Far Side

Hot

 Yesterday the warmest it got was 97 F or 36 C eh.  Sunday it was 100 F  or 37 C. 

I took a photo of the temperature and the time. 

Yesterday we ran errands in the morning when it was cooler; Post Office, Eye Doctor, Budget Auto and Wally World. 

Far Guy worked on Christmas woodcarvings and I worked on some greeting cards....then we had a nap.  Ever thankful for Air Conditioning!

Storms will be coming in and the weather should cool off some by Tuesday.  

Far Side

Dementia

Memory loss, difficulty finding words, getting lost, unable to problem solve, unable to do two tasks at once. 

My Dad has dementia, he has been struggling for a few years.   Sometimes his inability to find the right words has him revert back to the Finnish language.  

Yesterday we visited Mom and Dad in their assisted living apartment.  Mom is not real happy being there she misses the house that they sold.  Dad is okay there...his recliner and  TV are in virtually the same spot as in their house.  The food is good since Mom still cooks.  Dad watches basically one program on Netflix  Heartland.   I like that show too and I can understand him liking it.   Dad used to listen to baseball games on the radio and on TV...but he can no longer follow the game.  

Yesterday Dad knew that I was "the oldest kid" and he was happy to see me.  He asked me again "How old are you?"  I finally told him 70 and he said "That is really old"  He knew that he was 95.   Most of the time he does not know what year it is or the month. 

He thanked me in Finn for the card and a bit of money for his billfold.  Kiitos. 

My Dad is the last of his family...all of his brothers and sisters have died.  He is the lone survivor.  He is also a Bladder Cancer survivor since 1986.  It is hard for him being the only one left, he misses his sister Anna very much.

I  miss parts of my Dad;  the memories and remember whens, the one with advice and an opinion, the one who would take the opposite side of a discussion just to be on the other side. ( If he didn't take the opposite side I would) 

My Dad who smiles when he sees me and always welcomes a hug is still there for that I am grateful. 

Far Side

Happy Father's Day!

 I was out mowing and it rained on me, of course I am not sweet enough to melt.  My mower got a good wash as did my hat!   So we went to recycle instead. 

The storm clouds that rained on me.  There was a huge temperature difference between where it rained and where it did not. 

Veronica and Salvia are blooming in the wild gardens. 

Happy Father's Day to all the Fathers out there, I hope your day is special!  

Far Side

Lilacs and a barn

 We are headed into a heatwave, high temperatures and high humidity for a few days.  We are thankful for central air conditioning.

A barn nearby, new people live here, we have not met them.   I heard a rumor that they have homes all over the world.  Who really knows for sure.   They have an asphalt drive now, it used to be dirt....before driveways it was a pasture.   Times change.   I wonder what Henry would say...he used to be the caretaker of this property...he and his coon hounds and cages of rabbits that lived near the barn. 

Far Side

Change

 A section of land just west of us has been Native Prairie and a wooded area with many Oak trees as long as I can recall ( that would be about 70 years).  

The land is being cleared.  What a change.

From our home we could hear the high pitched whine of the huge saw machine as the old Oaks fell one by one.  The Oaks were thick as hair on a dogs back. 

So it will be a field  and grow something...potatoes, corn or a small grain of some kind.   I suppose some of the deer will return to have a salad...we often saw deer in this field...belly deep in Native Prairie grasses and flowers.  Most likely the pair of Fox we saw one evening have been displaced as have the coyotes. 

Is it progress?  I suppose eventually it will feed a few more people. 

Far Side

Half over

 June is half over...boy that sure went fast! 

Soon it will be time to change the flag again. 

Not much happening here, yesterday I cleaned the bathroom and put a few things away.   

Started on a baby blanket.  Watched a true story on Netflix called  Molly's Game.   It was interesting and I give it an 8 out of 10.  My shoulder is doing pretty good!  A bit of pain if I do too much but Aleve helps.  My Doctor checked on me yesterday as she is going out of town. 

We had a simple supper...breakfast...scrambled eggs and bacon.

Far Side

Yellow Blooms

 Found the first of the smallest  yellow Lady Slippers in our area.  This very nice clump is on one of the roads we take in the evenings. 

Yesterday I had an Eye Doctor appointment.  He loves to dilate my eyes, so much so that it takes the rest of the day to get back to normal.  My eyesight has changed a bit but not much, 20 20 and 20 15.   I have to go back for some more tests....field of vision and another one that I cannot recall the name of.  My "night driving glasses" need to be updated.  I do not use them often but when I do I want to be able to see through them! 

I will take the reading glasses script to Wally World and get some new reading glasses.   It has been several years since they have been updated. 

Cross something off my list and add a few more appointments...

My shoulder is still sore, but I was able to mow the lawn again and help with supper.   I partially watched Dark Shadows on Netflix , I give the music a 10 and what I saw of the show a 2.  I slept through most of it. 

Far Side