Smilin'

Even my 'deck' was smiling, can you see it? We are finally getting more than a few sprinkles so there may be some hope yet, for life returning to the dying trees and plants.
Before my 7 yr. old grandson left, he gave me a 'clue', smiled, and walked out the door giggling. He said he drew a picture for me and that I should ' see ' if I could find it. I never look into this mirror above the ' throne ', so it took me a while. I had to laugh as the light hit it just right as I walked into the bathroom, and there it was. He drew a stick girl and wrote Grandma, under it. I laughed out loud, to ' see ' it.
How's this for a strange lil fella. Look at that tail. It looks like this mischievous little chipmunk that we have named ' Trouble, ' had dipped his tail in a couple colors of paint. Either that, or he has been co-mingling with Pippy Le' Pew.
I couldn't resist a few fun shots while checking the water level at the cabin. These are ' overflow ' bubbles. There is a large hemlock laying across the creek, and when it rains, the level comes up quickly. Foam and bubbles back up when the water rises to the bottom of the log. It looks cellular to me.
The center of the foam looks like a giant sponge. This one sure is holding a lot of water.
The next two pictures are overviews of the creek. Everything is sure green after the rains. The ferns are filling out and the mosses are forming on the fallen trees.
Click to enlarge and you will see how the creek has forked and more foam at the top right of the picture due to another large hemlock across the flow of water. The right side of the fork is always dry. Not today, and it's still coming down. I don't think we have to worry about our trees anymore.
After so many dry years, going on 8, the ground is finally starting to soften as it drinks in all the rains. The neighbor has been logging next to the line and due to the softer ground, a tree fell over the road while I was back at the cabin. This photo is deceiving, as I was ' just ' able to squeeze under the tree with ' Ol'Blue ', my faithful Dodge Pickup.

I arrived home to yet, another nice surprise. I thought I recognized his call. He sounds a bit like a robin but more quiet and melodious. He has a click in his song. I love to see him at the feeder with his distinctive rose colored breast on an otherwise, black and white body. He's actually pretty friendly, once he learns he can trust you.
Finally, I looked up to check the gloomy sky and I see this silhouette of a pair of doves. They mate for life. There is something so peaceful listening to them coo to one another. It's like they are conversing about the weather, just as I had been doing. Will they stay long enough for me to take their picture, I wonder. Perfect end to a day of surprises.
BlessYourHearts

Doe a Deer, A Female Deer

It has been such a gloomy, gray day, that we all needed a reprieve from the long hours inside and out of the much needed rains. Always checking to see if the drizzle had stopped, we were pleased to see a spot of red across the rickety old fence. The doe was grazing. I, of course, grabbed the camera to see how close I could get to her. She did not hear me come out the door, or sneak beside the garage. I was within 30 ft. of her before she was alerted by the zoom of the camera. I love that she did not hesitate to continue her snack.
She gave a warning 'blow', to warn her fawns to take cover low to the ground, as she became nervous and leaped across the opening of the small corral, stopping one more time to look back. She still held the piece of grass tight in her teeth while warning again before running into the woods with her flag held high.

The deer are so beautiful this time of the year with their freshly shed winter coat. Their red bodies show off amongst the spring greens that surround them. It's nice to see such a big, mature doe still around. She has eluded the mighty white hunter of fall at least 3-4 years already, besides the many predators.

We have fawns born just at the woods edge behind the barn each year, as the same family returns over and over to birth their offspring. I still have not gotten a picture of her fawns, which she brings out one at a time, until they are big enough to fend for themselves. She lays them down separately, to avoid the loss of them at the same time from the preditors. In our case, the wolves, coyote, cougar and the bears are prevalent. Protecting her young is a hard job. Once they are laid down for the day, she is never far away while she grazes to continue to produce milk for her young.

I hope you enjoyed seeing the beautiful Whitetail Deer as much as I have. It is one sight I never tire of.

BlessYourHearts and GodBlessYourSunday

Grams Summer School

School's out, summer is just around the bend, and the GrandLoves are getting more Grams time than usual. Yesterday was a good day to get a little one on one time for Sy with me and his Daddy.

Lots of fun was crammed into one day knowing that we were in for 4 days of rain.

Sy learned how to whistle with a blade of grass. He realized that the thin, fine zebra grasses do not make for good whistling because it breaks so easily.
Practice, Practice, Practice and....
"I DID IT!!!!!" I never saw such an excited little boy to accomplish his attempts at Whistle Grass, as he called it.
He caught a new friend that he named Hoppy. It's a tiny leaf hopper/grasshopper. He spent half an hour cutting paper and tape to build him his own little house. So cute.
We nearly stepped on this., a robin egg shell that was cleared from the nest after the hatch of Mrs. Robins egg. Sy was surprised as to how fragile it was. Notice the worn hand of this 7 yr. old. He plays so hard on the tire swing that he even had a small blister, a cut from 'who knows where', and some pretty dirt imbedded nails. I laugh at how dirty this kid gets in a few minutes play, let alone an entire day. He would rather be outside than in front of the TV or playing video games.
Sy is very curious about everything around him. He noticed all of these mushrooms and wondered if he could try one. I'm grateful he asks first. The answer was 'NO', never eat anything until you are absolutely certain what it is and if it can harm you. He wanted to know, how? I told him you have to do a spore test on them first, making sure to wash your hands after touching any new mushroom, and NEVER put your fingers in your mouth after touching them. WHY? WHY? was the no.1 question of the day. I love his curiosity and love of the outdoors.
Is That a little DEAR I see in the middle of the field? I pity the parent or grandparent that is afraid to let their children explore their surroundings. How else will they learn to love and take care of nature and their world.?
A little down time with Dad as he teaches his son how to play All The Kings Men. Sy says, "Is this like that game Chess?" His Daddy said yes and told him that when he learned this game, he would be able to play chess with him too.

"Higher, Dad, higher." We made a video later that day and he spun so hard that he could not stop. (I tried to put in on here but, remember, I'm the 'idgit' of the bunch when it comes to this tech stuff.) He finally wound down enough to say, "Oh, it's too diabolical!"....where do kids come up with this stuff...
We did lots of other learning too. He now knows how to extract the juice from a red clover flower with his teeth for a sweet treat, how to make mint tea out of peppermint leaves and steaming hot water, and that he can eat the flower of a chive as well as the chive stem. Dandelions make some pretty bitter wine, but at his age, dandelions are best used to hold under his chin to see if he likes butter or made into a necklace or crown.

All of this active play, the walks and education in one day with a GrandLove that is so curious and anxious to learn, and guess what else we did?

We burnt a cake.

Moral of the story:

Never put cake in oven, then,

go outside for the day

and Forget Cake is baking.

It turned a weeee bit crispy, but was still eaten.

With that, one last lesson,

Waste not, want not.

Cut the black stuff off, toss, eat the rest...

We were so glad to have had a beauty of a day outside. Today it rained cats and dogs nearly all day long. We much thank you for your Rain Dances and Prayers for a break from our drought.

Have a wonderful weekend

BlessYourHeartsWithMemoriesandCake

Flashbacks

After all of these years, I'm beginning to understand 'Flashbacks.'

The term means many things to each of us. I seem to be having more and more of them since aging seems to make a difference in my life. As little as 10-15 years ago, it didn't appear to matter as much.

I'd thought I'd share some 'sweet' flashbacks with you that belong to me. It's like recycling I suppose.

Mom is strumming on the guitar that Dad gave her 60 yrs. ago when they were just teenagers and had just fallen in love. It brings back memories to me because it is the same guitar I learned a few cords on and played in a folk band when I was in high school. All 9 of us kids strummed that guitar at one time or another. I thought it was long gone, and one day last yr., Mom asked me if I wanted it. "It isn't good for anything anymore," she said, "because it's cracked, dried out, and is missing some strings." She said, " It costs your Daddy a few bucks by mail order, from the Sears and Roebuck." It was a searsucker, he'd say, cause he bought that sucker at Sears. It was the same thing he always said about his wool jacket.

Of course, I wanted it. My son surprised me with a new set of strings, had a friend tune it and tell him how to restore it.

My favorite part of this whole truth, is watching Mom play it again and show Andy a few cords. My grandson came down the stairs this past weekend with it in hand, and played it for me. He's only 11, but sure can hit a cord or two. When he heard who it belonged to first, his GGrandma, his pride was showing on his face.

Lookie what I found....now I have to figure out how to get the whole thing home so I can use it as a garden ornament amongst my flowers. I think that's why we have that pretty blue tractor. These wagon wheels remind me of some my GGrandparents had under an old buckboard at the homestead way up north at the T farm.
I also found this old rickety chair. The decorative back, means it has to come home with me too. I already have sweet plans for this one. Any of these carved chairs, old or new, are in my future. I can always find something to do with it...you will see.
These antiquated coat hangers are definitely of the past. These old originals will also find a new home, back board included. There are still some hanging at the farm in the stairway that Mom still uses. We all hung our jackets on them as a kid. I fell against one once, coming down our steep stairs, running late for the breakfast table. I went to school that day with a shiner. Talk about flashback, I just got a zinger headache just thinking about it. Ouch.
A garage sale find, this old rose plate reminds me of my Grams B. I don't recall her having this particular plate, but it just reminds me of her. She loved the violets which adorned alot of her favorite pieces. Perhaps because her name was Viola, was why. Grams was Mom's mother who lived to be a month shy of her 102nd birthday, fully mindful of her surroundings and loved talking about history. Her love of gardening has rubbed off on me and I'm grateful for that.
Heavens, this old bowl takes me a bit too far back. My ex MIL used to have one. I recall she always would say, "Get the mashed potato bowl," and everyone knew right off the bat, which one she was talking about. My daughter has her original one but when I saw this one, I thought, maybe her brother would like one too, just to remember their Grandma by.
So, there ya have it. My weekend found some treasures that sparked some sweet memories. I guess that's what books are made of, Memories gone back.

Have a great day, folks, as you do the same by having a 'pleasureable' flashback.

BlessYourHearts

New Place in Town

This has been a hectic couple of months. There has been tons of prep work done for the new owners and their devoted team of Stacy, Eric, and us, to do. There's a new place in town. My son Dusty and his business partner, Carl, have taken a break from their ' real ' job, to open an indoor archery shooting range called Northern Archery, right here in north central WI., in the heart of deer and bear country. We wish them great success on their new adventure. They call it their place of R & R from their ' real ' jobs.
Dustin and his support team, Ryele, Josh and Steph,...his family, taking a lunch break in the sun in front of the new project.
Amongst the work needing to be done, was clearing some trees to make room for a parking lot. Future fencing will distinguish the private drive to their rental home. To rent this 3 bdrm. country home, call 1-715-762-8526.
After a thorough cleaning, the painting, shellacing, rewiring, building new walls, putting safety glass windows in, building a bar and waiting counters, tables and stools, redoing the floors, and more and more, work had to be done to prepare for opening the doors to the public. The bar/waiting area turned out beautiful. This is the area the guys and gals can wait for their turn to shoot at the targets with their bow and arrows or just sit and relax with friends over a pizza and beverage while watching the other shooters or the outdoor sports programs.
The first official membership was sold, and the fun begins.
The range is supplied with 3D targets as well as 9-spot targets. You cannot see him, but there is a full sized average black bear target standing between the first two boxes. There will be more targets to come and the finishing touches on the range are still in motion. There are also tree stand shooting areas that will be in place soon so the shooters can shoot from an actual tree stand vantage point.
This is what the Northern Archery shooting range is all about. Practice, practice, practice from different distances until all is perfected. All are welcome. Bring your own bow equipment and have a go at it.

We wish the best for the new place in town, Northern Archery, 715-762-8526. The hours open are:

8 a.m.- 8 p.m.- Mon.-Fri.

9 a.m.- 4 p.m.- Sat.

Closed on Sun.

This has turned out to be a fun project for me and Bill to get a bit involved in too. We are so proud of the beautiful place that Dustin and his partner, Carl, have made for this outdoor sports community to enjoy. So, if you are ever in the north central Wisconsin area, stop in. They are easy to find just 2 1/2 miles East of Park Falls right on State Hwy 182 as you round the first corner. They would love to see you.

This has turned into a bit of free advertising but that's o.k. I am anxious to see how this all materializes on the business end of things. During this time of stressed economy, it is especially difficult to get a new business to thrive. It's scary. The boys are anxious, cautious, excited, all at the same time. They decided when they started this project, that, if all else fails, they will have one heck of a nice cabin. Now, that's the attitude. Dusty has always been the positive one and believes that you will never know until you ' try,' whether or not something will succeed. We Wish them all of our Best. Thanks for listening.

BlessYourHearts

Keepers and Not

The day was full of surprises. Some wanted, some not.

My Quince bush is finally showing some promise after having been transplanted twice since it's arrival several years ago. I love the gorgeous blooms tight to the branches. Just as I was about to snap the picture, this lil' bee sneaks in to get his picture taken too. Isn't nature full of surprises. A keeper.

This is also a transplant that is doing great. I had laid an unused 8 ft. satellite dish on its back and filled it with compost and Irises. It's going to be 'showing off' real soon. I love this one. Sadly, I do not remember the variety names of my plants anymore. All I know for sure, is, this one is a keeper.
If my Mother were to see this right now, she would yank this one out. I have such a terrible tendency to 'keep' weeds, like this Mustard plant, just because they are pretty. I won't let it go to seed but, for now, it's a keeper.

My Allium was a gift from Bill's Uncle Bob. I love how stately and proud they are in their orb shapes standing guard on each side of the Bleeding Hearts that I got from my sister Mel. They all are keepers.I had to show off my Cinnamon Fern which is about three quarters unfurled. She already stands 4 ft. tall and will easily grow at least another foot or more under my kitchen window. I included her for you Betsy...I know how you love the ferns.

All ferns are keepers.
This was at 4:20 Wed. morning.
A few seconds later, this beauty of a sunrise, was so much brighter before it was a blue sky just minutes later. I'm grateful all these years, for getting up early with Bill to pack a lunch for him and have coffee with him before he heads off to work.

We would never see such a God-given gift otherwise. The early bird, gets the worm, it's said. Early to rise, also sees most beautiful skies. Definitely a Keeper.
We had an unwanted visitor., one of which has been years since we have seen one. This little rascal is a woodchuck. So, how much wood, would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck would chuck wood? He's a rodent. He may get eliminated with the eliminator. He can cause a whole lot of damage to our gardens. It's been another tough year so we need all the produce we can grow for our family. He is NOT a keeper.
We also have a stray Mama cat hanging around the barn a lot lately. Now I know why. I saw a couple of kittens scurrying around behind the phlox and lilies behind her. She is a wonderful mouser, so, She is a keeper.
Mama doe was feeding in the lawn. She never comes this close unless she has laid her fawn close by. I'm waiting to see where she lays him so I can give you a closer look. We have seen her little one feeding at the edge of the field and kicking his heels up after a snack from his Mama. I will remain patient for the pictures. So, in the meantime, She is a keeper.
I hope you all have a glorious day. May you encounter a few wildlife friends and enjoy the sunshine, and, Don't forget to smell the roses.

From my lawn to yours

BlessYourHearts

R&R Precedes Inevitable

Knowing the 1st of June was going to be a long day for us, Bill and I decided to spend some of the day prior, just relaxing, reflecting, and simply enjoy what we see before us. That, of course, meant a drive to the cabin. As we come into the wooded part of our driveway, we couldn't help but notice how green everything has gotten in just the past few days.




Before our eyes were some of our woodland friends, including this Fritillary, and
a nice big doe distracting and guiding us away from her fawn that she had laying somewhere close by the road.
Dickie, our iron turtle who hangs out around the creek, just happened to be sunning himself on the rickety old bridge in need of repair this year.
We see we have damage control to tend to. The borers that have become a problem in WI, have been boring holes in our logs . I suppose, this cabin does not have a chance of standing 100 years if we can't become the dominant owners again, and soon.
A few weeks back, I showed you that we had Eastern Phoebes nesting on the ridge pole in the peek. It seems, they now have neighbors, as there are two Robin families living around the corner under the eaves.
The empty parking lot is the result of our long day. By time we got out of there, we had spent half of our day at
the Eye Clinic of Wisconsin. Bill was referred here by his optometrist.
Please, if you are a diabetic, please, PLEASE, beware the symptoms that can cause blindness. Bill, hopefully, is one of the lucky ones. Though he neglected to mention to anyone for the past several months, that his vision was so blurred that he could no longer trust sight out of his right eye, we pray that the procedure done on him today will be successful enough to restore his vision.

Because of his glucose (blood sugar) being so out of control with drastic changes from highs to lows, his eyes began to suffer the consequences.

He had developed what is called hard exudates, or diabetic aneurysm crystals outside and going within the macular or the back of his eyeball. The leaking and swelling of blood vessels caused them., which in turn, cause blurring, distortion and then complete blindness, if not taken care of. He was just short of the blindness.

To make a long story short, a dye is injected so the retinalogist can see exactly where and what the problem is. He then can see exactly where to do the laser treatment to correct or at least stop the leaking.

They had a couple of cancellations, so the Dr. asked Bill if he had 10 minutes. He could do it right away rather than rescheduling and driving 2 hours again.

All went well, but the empty parking lot in the above picture explains we were the last to leave the building. He will have the blurring for awhile yet. We will see., hopefully, if this was a complete success within the next 3 months.

All in all, he is a lucky man. Though it was not caught immediately, at least this type of retinapathy has a chance of at least stopping further damage with treatment.

Bill has been warned, now he needs to heed the warning. It was stressed over and over again, to pay attention to all the warning signs to keep your sight.

On the way home, he says, "I guess I better take better care of my shootin' eye."

So, how was your day?

BlessYourHearts...........