A Wilde Rose In Minnesota

O Christmas Tree!

2011-12-15T18:56:00.000-06:00

Our lovely white pine!

A Couple of things I've made . . .

2011-11-11T16:04:00.000-06:00

A few projects I have finished in the last couple of months (that I actually took the time to photograph)

Tea Cozy I made for my mom for Christmas.

Ravelry link

Gull Wing socks made for me!

Pretty, pretty, huh?

Ravelry link

Candelabra Socks made for me, too!

Ummm . . . pretty, pretty, too, huh?

Ravelry link

Chevron Scarf

Guess I'm making a lot for me lately, but I promise I'm working on a couple of other projects for other people, too!

This is just not one of them. Ravelry link

Hello!

2011-10-06T12:47:00.000-05:00


Rowdy running through the archway at the bottom of the cow yard.

Just a quick hello! I should run home now and make an apple crisp for our historical society New England Pot Roast Dinner tonight. Have a great day!!!!!!

Nobs from the old stove we pulled out of one of the out buildings on the farm.

The setting sun shines through some pretty fall leaves.

Been a Doing

2011-09-17T13:16:00.000-05:00

Just some shots of what we've been a doing around here!

From front to back--Spot, Mickey, and Hook!

Looking through the arches

The rented bull-y (he really isn't a bully, he's very nice) who will be the father of next year's little calves.

The view of from the backside!

Hmmm . . . pretty flower

Get a good stretch in Norman!

"My Baaaaaaaaahnie lies over the ocean, my baaaaaaaaaaahnie lies over the sea!" Bernie likes to sing real loud.

Fireworks

2011-09-05T12:05:00.000-05:00

Went to the annual Fireworks show put on for our town festival. Fun, fun, fun! I recorded portions of the show with my phone, soooooo . . . in just in case you have been hoping to see some fireworks, here they are--not nearly as good as in person, but still, nice!

The Little Hookster

2011-08-09T15:24:00.000-05:00

Hook asks, "Do you wish you had little horn nubs on the top of your head? I bet you do because they'd make you look sooooooooooooooo cute"

Olden Days

2011-08-05T14:00:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking today of way back when. A time nearing 14-15 years ago when I went to Romania just out of high school and also after my first year of college. I am thinking of a place called Iasi and the Casa de Copii Copou and the Casa de Copii Bucium. I am thinking of the children I met who are full grown now, but that I will probably never see again. I am thinking of Christi and Bogdan and Gabi and Vlad and Florin and George and Edy and Adi and so many other names that I can't even think how to spell anymore, but I am thinking of them.

At the Broken Piano--Casa de Copii Bucium July or August 1998

Don't know where you are, but still I think of you often!

Hey there

2011-07-28T11:58:00.000-05:00

My dad is having major back surgery today, so any thoughts and prayers you could send his way would be great--surgery should have started a couple of hours ago and will last until late this afternoon or into the evening. (It is two back surgeries in one, so what I really hope is that they can actually do the whole surgery at once and not have to go back in tomorrow and keep him sedated for even longer).

Its been a hot one here lately

2011-07-26T14:46:00.000-05:00

So I made Sangria last night and we ate out on the deck. Yep, that was our supper: Sangria and cherries. Okay, we might have had a easy to make frozen pizza with it, too, but this was the pretty part of our meal.

Mmmm . . . good stuff.

Try to stay cool--in our home with no air conditioning this has meant cold showers, sleeping on the living room floor, and even going out to see the 4th Pirates of the Caribbean movie at the air conditioned cheap theater one hot Sunday afternoon.

Been a Running

2011-07-05T17:19:00.000-05:00

These past weeks have been filled with running, running, running as our church prepared for its 125th Anniversary--we go to a little country church, so that means everyone does something and many do many things. I was in charge of editing and putting together a 1 hour DVD of our church history (along with my mom who scanned in hundreds of photos), putting a hanging photo display back together (that we had to rip apart in order to make use many of the photos) in a way that would be acid free and conserve our church's photos for many more years, designing a set of church banners to go in the front of the church that reflected our church's theme chapter for the weekend (Hebrews 11) and also would be appropriate for use throughout other times of year at the church, preparing a special number or two for a Sat. evening service as well as leading it, and making a dessert for the Sunday afternoon meal--woooooeeeee . . . busy, busy! There are many others who had just as busy, if not busier schedules for the weekend, so I am certainly not the only one who had much to do . . .

But . . . throw in the fact that with Friday evening came a big wind storm and a power outage at the church that lasted through Saturday evening, we can sure say we were kept on our toes! We all pitched in and I think that everyone who was able to come out had great time (at least, I know I did). Playing old fashioned picnic games (like 3-legged races and the like), singing songs with piano and guitar accompaniment and visiting with old friends doesn't take any power (and we had a generator running to keep the refrigerator and big chest freezer going, so our food wouldn't go bad).

What a great weekend all in all--and I have had many compliments on the DVD I put together--only about 5 left and I believe they are all spoken for, so I'll probably be making a few more copies!

The Pastor who was my confirmation pastor and there while I was in high school was able to come back and visit as well as the Pastor who we had when I was first born--it was great to see them!

Hope your past few weeks have brought you joy!

New baby calf at my house (or in the pasture--whatever)

2011-06-23T11:53:00.000-05:00

Tinkerbell is the proud momma of a bouncing baby bull that we have named Hook!

These pictures were taken just a little while after little Hook was born. Of course, we missed seeing him being born by about 20 minutes--we sure thought that Tinkerbell looked like she was going to calf at anytime and . . . ummm . . . she did!

Tinkerbell likes to sniff your hand for treats.

And then she wants to play (although it looks scary, she just wants to try to tap your hand and then she goes right back to sniffing you or to just standing there)

Another photo of Tink and the new baby out in the pasture with Dan (and Dakota--now Tinkerbell does not care for Dakota, so we did have to keep chasing Dakota back)

Petting little Hook--he was still wet.

Tink checking me out to make sure I'm safe to pet her new baby.

Little Hook's little face! You can't quite see the spot where his horns will start to grow, but there is a tiny round circle on both sides of his head. Longhorns have much smaller calves that Herefords do--although the Longhorns are a smaller breed of animal than the Hereford as well. We want to keep petting and being around Hook as much as possible, so that he will be nice and friendly. He will be becoming a Steer later this summer sometime.

Oh, Little Hook was born 42 weeks to the day that his daddy arrived on the ranch to meet his mother last Fall in Wisconsin. His daddy's name is Spike.

A Month of Sundays

2011-06-10T16:14:00.001-05:00

So we've had some wet and cool weeks this spring, but we have seen plenty of flowers, too (though, these flowers were supposed to be facing a different direction, but they uploaded a little funny--so much for making all of my images come up square and hoping that the more vertical photos would work again!)

Anyway, we've had some beautiful Sunday afternoons in the last month and I've been able to search out some beautiful sites (just down the road and up the ditch and next to a field I found some blankets of Mayflowers!)

So perfect and clean! We saw them while driving home from church and I told Dan we would have to take a walk back to see them after we had lunch . . . and so we did--aren't you thankful!!!!

The next weekend we let the cows and horses out onto pasture. (You might notice that our horse, Checotah, looks mighty wooly--we are quite sure that she has Cushings. She was starting to have her hair grow really long last year, but it definitely got much worse this year--Dan just gave her a good clipping on Monday, so she's looking much better now!

While the rest of the animals went out to pasture, Mickey just couldn't get past the fact that he had to go through where a gate had been electrified for his entire life. We figured, eh, he'll get hungry enough and wander out to his mother sometime overnight. By the next afternoon, he was still in the yard and separated from his mother with no signs of going out on his own--sooooo . . . Dan decided to try to get him to go into the pasture again--this time when Gert (his momma) saw Dan going to fetch Mickey, she came and stood right by the gate to moo her encouragement!

So Mickey started on his way to his mother (through the muddy wet at the bottom of the cow yard)

And he finally decided that he really would like to be with his mother and the rest of the fam!

And that he had really missed his mother's milk!

. . . a lot! He must have nursed there for a good 5 minutes or more!

Beauty was quite happy to eat the grass after a winter of hay! (good hay, let me tell you, but it isn't fresh grass--come late fall when they've had grass for months on end, though, they're going to be excited for hay)

Soooo . . . in our wanderings after getting all the animals in the pasture we also came across one of the wild plum trees in the pasture just at the end of its full bloom.

And Dan looked good, so I snapped a photo (or two or three or four)

Back on Memorial Day we spent the day at the home of my parents-in-law. Here my niece and her cousin (and best friend) laugh as I take their picture.

Here they are much more well composed. This is the picture that Kalyn wants on her birthday card this year. (of course, I told her that what I put on her birthday card is my decision, so she might get a picture of her ear instead).

Ummmm . . . this one uploaded sideways and I don't feel like going back and trying to upload it again and again when I know I saved it the right way, so turn your head or your screen and you'll see a pretty rainbow over the cow shed rather than to the left of the cow shed)

Last week Dan got a new bike (well new to us). A 2008 Honda Rebel to commute to work on and to make himself look cool--you should see him in his motorcycle chaps (okay, no you shouldn't because I don't want you to--I'll keep him for myself!)

Nice! (and the bike is, too)

Dan's brother, Jason, his dad, and there's Dan again all on their bikes. His brother was visiting last week and came with us to pick up Dan's bike and then his dad thought he better come on over and they all went for a quick ride into town together. What a fun night!

And sometime in the midst of all of this I made dandelion jelly--good stuff.

Hope your month has been great! I'll be starting to teach a musikgarten class through our local community education program next week, so wish me luck on that (I've got some busy weeks coming up--we're having a wagon train start here next week for a ride through a bunch of local communities and I was in charge of finding musicians for their first night of camping with a community picnic and our church has its 125th anniversary celebration (and I'm involved with music and I have to finish off editing and putting together a history dvd for that as well--wish me luck with that, too--so many pictures (that my mom has thankfully scanned in, but now we have to figure out exactly where all of them will go!) Hmmmm . . . I've got to make some special banners for the front of the church, too--soooo . . . lots to do!

Making stuff

2011-05-14T12:38:00.000-05:00

This past week nature has been making things more beautiful around here (though today is rainy and chilly again). I have been loving the evening light as it glows over the flowers that are blooming in the yard!

Last night I made up a quick project using scraps of bulky and worsted weight yarn on size 13 double pointed needles. Soooo . . . I've been making stuff, too!

This is the Scrappy Gnome Hat made for a brand new baby named Henry who has a baby shower next Saturday--I made this while watching the final episode of Smallville (and an extra hour to hour and a half--a very fast project!) As I do not have a child, Oscar, the gorilla, kindly stepped in to model--he wasn't too excited about it, but he didn't get a whole lot of say! I just love this silly hat!

Have a great rest of your weekend!

Up, things that have been

2011-05-10T19:04:00.000-05:00

More pictures of things going on around here!

Bernie and Rosie in the remains of the very weedy garden from last year. Bernie is quite surprised that his picture is being taken.

Norman looking off of the back porch

Green tulips last week--they finally are blooming now and were all nice and yellow just in time for Mother's Day!

Dakota had a run-in with a raccoon last Wednesday morning in the wee hours. So far it looks like she is seeing out of her eye--no infection has happened--but she will remain a conehead for a little while. We are hoping that the eye will heal over eventually, but the scratch was deep and we may have to bring her to someone who specializes in doing surgery on the eye. Poor Dakota--just trying to make sure the raccoons don't come onto our place and kill our kitties (which they have in the past).

Mother's Day and my mom's 64th birthday were on the same day this year. We had everyone over for dinner and my brother's family (his wife, really) brought the cupcake cake!

The apricot trees just started to bloom this weekend!

The violets finally opened up yesterday!!!!!

This morning Dan found two little kittens in the wall of the barn--fallen down from the haymow. We hadn't seen these little ones yet--they are definitely one of the more wild(e) kitties kittens--probably Bobby's daughter's kittens (not that you know who Bobby is, but she has a daughter that looks almost exactly like her except that Bobby is has no tail and Bobby's daughter has a tail and also Bobby loves us very much, but Bobby's daughter doesn't so much care for us (except that she knows we feed her). Anyway, they seem to be really sweet kittens--not scared of us at all, surprisingly--the little peachy and white one started purring as I held it even, but Dan has said the gray and white one will not be allowed in the house--all of our gray and white kitties have "issues" and constantly chat at us and are just plain weird--like the Bernie--did you see his expression in that first picture? Do you want to know who started chatting at us at 6:00 am this morning after we got him (or her--I didn't check that carefully and my 6 am eyes have been known to be wrong in the past) out of the wall--the little Bernie look-a-like. Oh, you little kitties!

Molly's little kittens are also growing up and starting to move around--what little sweet things!


Last, but not least--the cows were enjoying today's sun. Here's hoping the rain will let up for a few days to help dry out their yard. I was using a long lens on this photo--there was a great oozing expanse of mud and muck between us as I shot this photo! Rain, rain go away, I've smelled enough cow muck for today (and next week and next month and so on)

Mud

2011-04-28T14:07:00.000-05:00

There are reasons for 4 wheel drive around here--winter and spring (or springs in the road following wet winters!)

Looks a little mucky

Looks a lot mucky!

Hope mud baths are good for the Tahoe!

The area where I live is filled with springs--they are on the sides and tops of hills all over the place. I think it will be a while until we can make hay properly this summer without rutting up our fields!

Somehow that doesn't seem so bad to me--not being able to get things done because you are too lazy or even too busy--you can do something about that most of the time--not being able to do stuff because there is too much mud and water--well, can't help that, so might as well relax, do a little something else, and wait!

Guess we might not have too many pretty wild flowers growing this May Day! Maybe people will need to make up mud pies to leave on their neighbor's doorsteps.

More Cows!

2011-04-22T14:24:00.001-05:00

Wilde Rose Knitting, a set on Flickr.

I know, lots of cow photos lately, but that's where the excitement has been at our place for the most part! Just wait till you see the new one at the end--what a cutie!

Molly and Babies

2011-04-22T14:19:00.001-05:00

Molly and Babies, a photo by wilderose on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Molly had her babies on Monday 4/18/2011. Four little ones--two girls and two boys. She had them on a tarp up in our haymow--I added a little hay underneath her and the kittens to keep it a little cosier!

A couple more gratuitous cattle photos

2011-04-09T14:32:00.000-05:00

Ummm . . . we've got a problem . . .

We (well, I use the term 'we' rather loosely because it really was Dan) made a divider down the center of the feed bunk to keep the cows from laying down in the comfy hay, but . . . apparently . . . ummmm . . . it is a quite comfy calf bed now.

Now, remind me again--who says cattle don't have personality?

Hey, Mickey your so fine, your so fine you blow my mind--Hey Mickey, hey, hey, Hey Mickey

(or should I say, hay Mickey?--oh, I am so hilarious . . . or not)

Sorry, that song has been going through my head this week and I think that is the only part of that song I know . . .

Well, bye, bye!

Spring is in the air

2011-04-05T17:09:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning I woke up and I thought to myself, "It looks like spring." Most of the snow is gone and the tulips are starting to poke through the soggy earth and the grass and a few other perennials are starting to green up. Our home (well, not the home per se (is that how you would spell that? I don't know) so much as the cow yard) stinks to high heaven.

But most importantly . . .

We welcomed a new creature into our midst on Sunday!

Meet Mickey

Born in the wee hours of Sunday morning--here he is just hours old and a little shy

Mickey and his mother Gert in our cow yard that smells to high heaven!

He's got a little snowy white face and is quite clean compared to the rest of the springtime sludginess that abounds at this time of year.


Welcome to the world, Mickey! You may not be our little calf, but you stay with us, and you let us scratch your ears, and we really think you're sweet!

Mickey had his first visitors on Sunday afternoon. They included his owner, Tim and Tim's dad as well as my brother and his family (including my very excited 6 year old nephew--who will be sharing that he got to meet a baby cow over spring break at kindergarten this week).

Sunday was a busy day at our place and I needed that day yesterday to just decompress from all of it, I think. We also were able to find a family for one of the precious little puppies that Dan found a few weeks ago. I really wished we could have kept him, but it would have put a strain on our finances to have another dog as much as he was so sweet. I had Dan convinced that if we weren't able to find a family for him in two weeks, we would keep him forever and ever, but just a day after Dan and I put up flyers for him, we got a call from a family (who had recently put their 11 year old lab down) that were looking for a puppy. They also live in the country with some acreage and were really missing having a dog to call their very own. It was very bittersweet to have to let him go. My parents will be taking the other puppy as soon as they have a dog kennel ready at their place (they live right next to us--separated by just a hay field, so at least we will see him all the time).

Anyway, what a weekend--and spring is here--soon there will be another calf and little kittens in the barn. And not too long after that we will have our own little longhorn calves (we hope, we hope)!

Puppy-ness

2011-03-31T13:38:00.000-05:00

Tough Day

2011-03-17T16:58:00.000-05:00

Checotah, Dan, Me and Reno after riding at one of the state parks.

We lost our Reno this morning. I met him the day Dan and I had our first date. He graciously let this girl who hadn't been on a horse in many years ride him that night and he never did me wrong. We had an understanding--I wouldn't work him too hard and would let him even grab a bit of grass here and there as we rode and he wouldn't trip and fall as I rode him.

Reno wandering (on a mission it seems--probably to find some good food)

Reno in the Gloaming--sparkling snow and a sparkling Reno!

A drawing I did based on Reno--I know he doesn't really look like that (especially in the face), but Reno always had great angles when he moved--fun for capturing in a drawing.

Another drawing based on Reno--what a superstar--he could have modeled on a catwalk (well, except he startled pretty easily with flashing bulbs and also didn't like lots of loud noise--he also didn't like to hear the sound of his own hooves on pavement--such a country horse)

Sweet Reno, I'll miss you so . . .

Sweet Reno, I'm really going to miss you and the way we could hear you coming (even in the dark)--he had this certain way he blew air through his nose. I'll miss you practically falling asleep as we trimmed your hooves--such heavy hooves--you really liked to be rooted to the ground--you would never have made a good jumping horse. I'll miss your stumbling feet. I'll miss your excitement at the sight of grain (or any food really, especially treats). I'll miss your sad, old eyes.

Alrighty, I have to stop here--I'll start crying to hard.

Found

2011-03-09T16:09:00.001-06:00

Two ~~female~~ (umm . . . scratch that--6:30 in the morning eyes apparently are blind--they're boys, but they're such cuties that they should be wrapped in bows and snuggled!) puppies this morning around 6:30 near our home.

Here's the one of the cuties sniffing for more food--don't worry he was well fed this morning, but he is a growing puppy after all . . .

They're movers and shakers (as you can tell by this blurry picture! silly little guy)

Dan found these little guys on his way to work this morning. He brought them home and I gave them food and water and put down an old blanket for them to lay on for the time being. We've called the local sheriff's office just in case someone reports them missing, but for now they are staying in our shop.

Long time no write

2011-03-02T16:46:00.001-06:00

Hope you've all been having a good new year (you know, now that its March and all). Here are some pic's to update you on stuff going on since my last post in November (yeah, I'm bad--like I say to Dan a lot when I don't get something done that I meant to do--"It's because I'm a terrible person.")

Ummm . . . big thing, I guess--we went to Mexico with my brother and sister-in-law back in the beginning of December)


Us in Tepic

Dan and our family's old exchange student, Michele in Tepic

With my brother and his wife on his birthday!

The street in front of our hotel

Me in the water on Stone Island

Restaurants on Stone Island

Olas Altas Bay--from our hotel room balcony

Fun was had by all (and we left on the day of a snow storm and arrived back . . . ummm . . . two days later than expected due to the snowstorm that took down the Metrodome roof)

But--we do like the snow--we love the snow!

Sooo . . . snowy wintery scenes around the farm . . .

Tinkerbell and Rowdy eating in the snow

Rowdy eating in the feed bunk

Dan added this divider so that the cows could no longer stand in the feed bunk to eat--while it makes an adorable picture, it causes quite a mess (as cows don't care where they do their business) and we weren't quite sure if the bunk's 2 x 12 boards were really able to handle pregnant cows day after day!

Sleeping out in the snow--Dan and his cousin slept out one Friday evening in early Feb. Meanwhile, I stayed in the house and watched a movie and some old episodes of Bewitched with my sister-in-law. Woohoo--sorry, Dan, I know that couples should do things together, but sleeping out on the frozen ground is not on my agenda--love camping--I've even camped out in well below freezing temps, but that was in a Teepee.

Wheat in the field where Dan and his cousin slept--would this be considered winter wheat?

Me last week in front of a mongo drift that formed in front of one of our old buildings.

A last look at the cows on a snowy, foggy day!

Well, hope that catches you all up!

Rowdy and Tinkerbell

2010-11-05T17:41:00.001-05:00

Rowdy and Tinkerbell are our new longhorns!

We drove down to La Crosse, WI area two weeks ago and picked them up!!!!! Woooooo!!!!

The farm we picked where we picked them up!

View from the driveway

Dan has wanted to have some longhorn cows for . . . . hmmm . . . . bunches of years. There used to be a guy who would bring his longhorns to this local rodeo every year and Dan just loved going and hanging out by their pen to see their cool horns and the beautiful variations in color that they have. He's studied up on all sorts of stuff on raising them, asked questions of family members who raise cows (or used to raise cows), and that was that for a long time. We knew we would want to be fully prepared to be able to handle the cows (and needed to save up money to buy them as well). We still have to make a definite decision as to how we will have our cows bred come next summer, though.

Sooooo . . . anyway . . . here are some photos of the actual cows.

Getting out of the trailer

Here comes Rowdy

Here comes Tinkerbell

Ahhhhh . . . right to the hay

Dan's cousin's cows were out in the pasture and came running to meet the new gals

Rowdy is on the left and Tinkerbell is on the right

We left them in this holding pen overnight

Then the next afternoon (it was really wet outside that day), we let them in with the rest of the cows (and horses, too).

Checking out their new digs (notice the herefords hiding behind the rock pile)

The view from my window over the kitchen sink that afternoon.


The cows have started to make friends--the yearlings and little Donald are still a bit afraid of Rowdy & Tink, but they'll all lay down amongst eachother now at least.

Now, hopefully (if Spike the bull from Wisconsin did his job) early next summer we will have two little longhorn calves running around the place!

New and imperfect!

2010-10-21T13:30:00.000-05:00

Remember this?

It is now this!!!!!!!!

Is is perfect? No, the bathroom is not beautiful by any means yet, but our bathtub and shower are usable once again! No more showers in the little square shower stall in the basement bathroom! . . . and yes, that is a pretty well permanent rust stain on the bathtub--it is a good, solid, cast iron, porcelain tub and therefore would be very difficult to replace with any other kind of tub, so what it really needs is to be refinished, but as we can't quite afford the bathtub refinisher to come and work on our tub we just will live with our imperfections. Imperfections are what make each one of us unique (including our bathtubs!)

My garden was a very imperfect garden this year--totally my doing--the plants worked their best to overcome my lack of weeding and care and so Saturday when I went to pull out stakes from the garden so that Dan could chop down the tall weedy mess, I was able to pick these . . .

. . . and put them into my cute rooster pitcher.

Lastly--the cows enjoying the Fall weather . . .

Do you see them down there? They love laying in the shade of the trees at the bottom of our south barnyard.

This weekend we'll be getting two longhorn mama's to add to our animal population. I can't wait to meet them!

A title should go here

2010-10-14T16:49:00.001-05:00

Just a few pictures of the fun going on around here!

Last week was our anniversary, so we both took the day off and went down to the Como Zoo and Conservatory in St. Paul! (And following those pictures are embarrassing photos of Norman and Bernie that I took this week--I know, I know--who really needs to see these photos, but golly these animals make me laugh!)

The Animals

Pink flamingo!

Sleeping polar bear!

Giraffe and baby!


Gorilla!

The Plants

Pretty flower!

The fern room!

Light through the leaves!

Now how about those embarrassing photos!

Norman & Bernie-the misfits

Can you do this? And be comfortable?

You can just play with his paws and he barely slits open his eyes!

Bernie yawning--if you are any kind of vet could you tell me who Bernie's teeth are soooo small--he's got really short whiskers, too and his front claws are only little claw nubs (his back claws are normal, though)

Well, those are the sights I've seen this past week!

The Fall of the Year

2010-10-01T15:08:00.001-05:00

One of the maple trees in the pasture

Gorgeous weather this past week has led to gorgeous color and temperatures perfect for walking through our pasture! (It has also led to thousands of boxelder bugs congregating on the south side of our house--the side with our main door, the side our bedroom window looks out on, the side our big dining room and living room windows look out--thank goodness for beautiful fall color in the outdoors!)

I love red maple leaves


I also think these vines look beautiful--they are considered bad as they can kill off trees eventually, but golly they're pretty as they do it?

Yep, fall is pretty! I love fall--I got married in the fall--Our 8th anniversary is next week--Happy Anniversary, Dan (though, you don't know how to find my blog--I'll bring you in and show you this post, though, so I guess I can make sure you'll see it!)

Happy October, everyone!

Norman is such a good mother

2010-09-25T14:45:00.001-05:00

This has been the scene lately in the evenings at our home . . .

Little Sally snuggles up to Norman

Ahhh . . . the sweetness


Ahhh . . . the comfort

Norman--mother of all lonely kittens--well, ummm, mother of a few lonely kittens that he decides are okay--well, ummm, as much as a neutered seven year-old male kitty can be a mother to one or two chosen kittens every once in a while, especially on a comfy quilt on a comfy couch. Sally's a lucky little girl!

Supper

2010-09-18T16:01:00.001-05:00

I made a yummy real supper last night. I do make yummy real suppers a fair amount, but this one was so pretty and real supper-ish looking and there was a camera within steps of the plate, so I had to take a picture!


Dan's plate of spicy pan-fried tilapia with potatoes, tomatoes, and cucumbers from the local farmers' market as well as . . . ummm . . . organic lettuce from the grocery store.

Anyway, it was good stuff!

Neato!

2010-09-06T16:16:00.001-05:00

Wanna know something crazy/mildly interesting?

My phone takes halfway decent pictures.

I mean I can't blow them up as big as I can with my camera, but golly . . . these pictures are kinda fun.

The one at the top there is from a while back as I was coming home from town and noticed this beautiful pink glow behind me. I thought to myself, "Too bad I don't have my camera with me." And then I went "Wait, I do have my phone. It can't hurt to try it!"

The pictures sometimes make me think of a color polaroid because of the way you don't get to adjust how long the "shutter" is open, so you can get interesting halos like this one . . .

But, goodness gracious, isn't that a cool photo anyway--kind of a pinhole, foggy effect--so neat!

Pretty good for my free phone I got from Sprint when we signed up for their family plan last year--in case your wondering it is an LG Lotus (LG and Sprint have no idea who I am). Who knows, if they even have them around anymore, but I like the pictures I have gotten! Even took some good ones of the boys I taught when they were goofing off during VBS!

Just a fun, quick shot that I was easily able to email to their moms without having to haul a camera in my pocket.

And then last night while visiting with friends at our local county park there was the most stunning sunset . . .

Pure and unadulterated gorgeousness!

Hope your week will be filled with unexpected blessings!

Wedding Presents

2010-08-19T19:25:00.001-05:00

I just received a wedding present this week.

Dan and I have been married nearly 8 years.

We are so blessed to have been given this gift. It may not have been in the making for 8 years (or maybe it has, I don't know), but when this dear friend was making this gift and was ready to give it she thought it would make a wonderful wedding present for us.

And it is a beautiful wedding present . . . something I will cherish . . .

Look at this quilt! It is my quilt of many colors!

Our local community theater group put on Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in July and now that song just keeps running through my head--it was red and purple and yellow and green and . . . or however that goes . . .

Anyway, this quilt was made by a dear friend of my mother who we used to go visit in the Summer up on the Leech Lake Reservation. She and her husband (a pastor) had a small mission church and my mom would help run a Vacation Bible School with the kids.

I was little enough to be in the VBS with all of the kids and we would go swimming and ride on her husband's pontoon. They had a beautiful home on the lake right next to the woods. They also had a special spot in their hearts for orphaned animals.

One of those was a fawn who would come running out of the woods for a bottle of milk when it was young and corn (I suppose) when it was older. They had a special collar on it to signify that nobody should hunt it (that was when I was really little, so I don't remember exactly what happened with that one--probably someone did eventually decide that they didn't care about the collar :( but there are also tons of bears around there). The other little orphaned critter they cared for was a porcupine. His name was Thorny. He would come out of the woods every night for a bit of bread and milk. Duane would pick him up (he didn't want anyone else to chance it just in case, but Thorny was a really nice porcupine) and because of this I know that porcupines have really soft fur on their bellies.

I'll have to search through my parent's photo albums and find some photos to scan in from those days. I also saw my first black bear close up at their place. It came out of the woods to scavenge after a bunch of the VBS kids had a food fight the evening before.

Hmmmm . . . anyway, I'm sure Susie doesn't go on the internet much (if at all) and she may never see this tribute to her and this thanks (a card will be going out in the mail soon, though), but Thank you Susie! This wedding present was well worth the wait and I didn't even know I was waiting for it--those are the best presents anyway--the ones from the heart that you never expected!

July Photos

2010-07-31T15:43:00.000-05:00

Glove

Dewey

Bunny

Singing

Storm clouds over Downtown Dassel

Storm clouds to the North

Best Buddies--Norman and Bernie

Orange Zinnia

Orange Zinnia even closer

Field of clover

Hope your July was filled with blessings!

Birthday Pictures

2010-06-30T15:08:00.001-05:00

Breakfast!

Delphinium blooming!

Flowers in the planter!

Random Video

2010-06-25T15:15:00.001-05:00

Pretty things

2010-06-24T11:39:00.001-05:00

Breakfast this morning! Wild blackberries (picked by Dan) with yogurt cream.

A new baby bonnet for my new niece! (ravelry link)

This was done in doubled Cherry Blossom Sock Yarn

by Sundara Yarn. So pretty!

And today I will start a new thing

2010-06-18T13:36:00.001-05:00

or keep on going with what has been started.

Wednesday morning Dan took this picture around 6 am--gorgeous, huh? He's so good at catching beautiful morning light (I'm better with the evening light--probably because I don't have to be at work at 7 am (and this week it has been even earlier for him)--and these mornings on the farm are the mornings he wishes he could stay home all day rather then head on the 20 minute trip two towns over to work)

That picture reminds me of a song I just heard on Radio Heartland -- don't know the name of it (I could look it up--found it Choose Joy by Buskin & Batteau--and downloaded it, too!), but the lyrics said that every morning when you wake up you have a choice to start the day with joy--what a neat song!

Anyway, I thought I would also show you some updated photos of things/critters on the farm . . .

My pretty blue planter fill with pretty flowers (I just love the combo I put in there this year--I love last year's as well, but this puts a smile on my face)

Little Donald is growing by leaps and bounds! We figure (or Dan did) that he was at least 100 lbs when he was born and he has gotten SO much bigger!

Kittens are growing, too! L to R: Dewey, Bunny, & Hughey The ones on the left and right are brothers and little Bunny in the middle is a few weeks younger. She is part Manx(?), so she has no tail. She is really sweet.

Lastly, some knitting:

I started these Endpaper Mitt's (ravelry link) last week--they were all the rage a couple of years ago and now that I was finally able to purchase the yarn I wanted for them I am able to come a little late to the party. I am always a year or two late on trends (or a few years early--never the right time)

A little closer look.

So pretty! Can't wait to finish them, weave in the ends, and block them!

Oh, and last night the Dairy/Berry Day events got canceled due to bad weather, so next Thursday we'll try again!

I come from a small town

2010-06-17T12:31:00.002-05:00

So, I come from a small town . . .

that means so many things . . .

it means tonight in our town we have a fun event at the bandstand
Dairy/Berry Day--free root beer floats and strawberry sundaes served by the Dassel Ambassadors and Ambassador candidates--live music by local musicians in the Mid-Minnesota Concert Band.

. . . but there will be someone sorely missed tonight at Dairy/Berry Day

this was her small town, too

our local newspaper editor, Lynda Jensen -- a fixture at any local event, willing to share pictures with me of event happenings (as I update the city's website or cable channel), a woman in her 40's with 3 children who knew what true sacrifice is, with a husband who was in Iraq while she was pregnant with her last child (and I can't remember for sure, but I think he was still there when she had her), the wife of a police officer with all of those crazy hours -- she died on Tuesday after suffering a brain hemorrhage from a fall she had a couple of weeks ago that went undetected.

We had just laughed last week at a local chamber of commerce meeting about her 18 year old daughter's need for her cell phone.

Praying for your family, Lynda, and for your co-workers at the newspaper.
Elisabeth

June, june, joon, joooooon

2010-06-05T13:46:00.001-05:00

I like June--it's my birthday month--things are growing in the garden and I usually haven't lost my ambition to keep the weeds down yet--strawberries are ripening--school's out (not that it makes much difference in my life--no kids and I am no longer in school or work at one, but still I've always loved that feel of school being out)--cute critters are out and about--and on and on and on--now, Dan doesn't love June so much--it means work (really hard work) trying to judge when to cut hay, keeping the wildness in the pasture at bay, working on things out in the mosquitoes (I guess these things can be said for me as well, but Dan is the one who really feels the pressure of all of it and is the one who does the really hard labor of it all--I help him with the hard labor, but he's the one who really gets down and dirty--I drive the tractor:he picks up the bales, I somehow throw the bales onto the hay elevator:he somehow pulls the bales off the elevator, stacks them up in the heat of the hay mow, and comes back ready for more as I finally drag another bale onto the elevator) . . . but, I digress--I really came here to show you some pretty pictures, so . . .

Strawflower--I'll have to get a photo of the whole pot of flowers I put together on the deck--yellow and white flowers in a pretty blue pot!

The old wooden manure carrier that used to sit out behind the barn just going to waste. Now it is in the front yard with a couple of rose bushes, painted daisies, and some lilies. I planted it full of canna lily bulbs and they are starting to poke through the surface now. I can't wait to see how it will look!

Last year's kittens! Murphy, Betty, and Maggie--Murphy's saying, "What aren't you petting me? You could be petting me if you weren't taking that picture!"

Well, that's where life stands at the moment! Hope you are enjoying your summer beginnings!

It's Spring, so that means it is time for . . .

2010-05-19T12:11:00.001-05:00

. . . millions of things to be happening at the same time. Planting the garden, fresh kittens, a new baby calf, and pretty things blossoming outdoors.

Molly's kittens!

Little Donald born on May 8th!

Donald and his momma, Bessie.

Flowering crab tree at one of the local parks!

It is officially tick season around here--I don't know that I really need to announce it far and wide and even if I did, I am sure there is someone far more important that actually knows when tick season really is or if there is an official tick season around here. Friday and Saturday there were ticks abounding out in the pasture where Dan was working on a new fence line. I was only out there briefly those days, but both days I had 3 on me. Sunday ticks at the park where we went for a picnic in the afternoon and Monday I weeded through the weed patches right by the house (otherwise known as my flower beds) and ended up with two ticks crawling on me.

Aren't you happy that I spared you pictures of those? I've been feeling all creepy crawly since then!

Just saw . . .

2010-04-13T15:16:00.000-05:00

. . . this and it made me think of the nice bowls I made for Norman a bunch of years ago for Christmas. It is very important to make sure your animals have beautiful things to eat from (even if they'll never care or notice) ;D

Norman and a couple of orphaned kittens (Ernie and Bernie, in case you're interested) eating in the back room of the house. (The kittens finished their food, so Norman is finishing it up--but hey look over in the corner--that is his nice wheel-thrown food bowl made especially for him by me!)

A close-up shot (not a very good one, but at least it gives shows you what the bowl basically looks like).

Ummm . . . that's all, nothing more important to say.

I Think I Like Him

2010-04-08T14:56:00.000-05:00

Dan on Easter Sunday

Yet again, the bathtub is unfinished

2010-04-03T12:32:00.000-05:00

Trip Around the World baby quilt

. . . but we made about 15 quarts of maple syrup, I finished up the cutest baby quilt ever (well, it is the cutest one until I end up making one for my own child which has yet to appear on the horizon), the church is decorated for Easter, and I am going to make a broccoli/grape salad and a spinach/artichoke dip for our get-together at Dan's parent's house tomorrow!

More gratuitous, gorgeous baby quilt pictures (made for a new niece that will be arriving in the next couple of weeks--don't worry, there is a little bit of knitting that will be made, too, but I know her mom has been working on things for her as well!)

The back--isn't is cute?

Detail of the top-stitched binding

I just fell in love with all of these little patterns that I got a JoAnne Fabrics!

Oh, and we brought a load of scrap iron to the scrap iron place yesterday. We went there a couple of years ago and I took a bunch of fun pictures of all the metal and cool stuff around there and I kept meaning to bring them copies of pictures (scroll down a bit--but also check out those cute kittens!) that I had taken. I brought them with me yesterday and the woman who gave us our check for the metal just loved them and was so excited to get them framed and put up on the wall! That was so nice of her to love them--I thought they were cool, too, but sometimes people think differently than me.

Soooo . . . in honor of that here is a quick shot that I took yesterday!

Dan at the metal scrap yard (I stayed in the truck--too many giant cranes picking things up and such)

Anyway, I hope your Easter is a good one!

Bathtub is in about the same place as last time, but . . .

2010-03-18T16:21:00.000-05:00

. . . the old water tower in my home town is not.

We said goodbye to our friendly old water tower on Tuesday.

It was my job to be the historical recorder. (I stood outside all day video taping the taking down of the tower and taking still shots of it as well).

We sure are going to miss it (couldn't keep it due to rules and regulations related to people suing the city and lead paint and all sorts of craziness--the city looked into all sorts of options),

but we do have a beautiful new tower and maybe someday when people have money again the town can put on some kind of fundraiser to make small replica of the tower.

I have also been taking pictures of the tower from all angles for the past year.

So anyway for the next week or so or more I will be working on a comprehensive video of our old water tower--hope I do good!

The current state . . .

2010-02-27T14:18:00.001-06:00

. . . of my bathtub

Ah, the joys of 1940's era pipes and tubs

Knitting Olympics-Shetland Triangle

2010-02-25T15:54:00.000-06:00

I have never joined any group before this, but I knew when I got done with all the Christmas knitting I did this year that I would finally want to make a shawl of my very own. I knew which one it would be-- The Shetland Triangle. I knew what yarn I would make it out of-- Sundara Yarn aran silky merino in the black cherry colorway. Last year I was involved in one of Sundara's yarn club things and I was just waiting to see what yarn I would get and hoping that the silky merino color would be just what I might want to have in order to make my Shetland Triangle. I have to say that every yarn I got was just absolutely gorgeous. (Still need to show you some more of the things I made with it all).

Anyway, I cast on for my shawl on the evening of Feb. 12 during the opening ceremonies of the Olympic games not knowing if I could really get it done and blocked before the games were up. I have knitted shawls before and this didn't seem like a giant one, but I have never knitted a shawl (or anything much bigger than a mitten) in two weeks time. So anyway, I've done it! It is still in the blocking pins (I hope--there are two cats inside afterall) at home and it is a couple days before the Olympics are over! I didn't even knit every night--I did need to take some recuperating time between long evenings of knitting as my hands would start to ache. (Much like Olympic athletes appreciate a break between events).

So here are my progress photos . . . (and a link to my shawl in Ravelry and the Ravelympics! and also a link to The Knitting Olympics!)

The start!

Partway through!

The lump--all knitted!

Pattern detail before blocking

Edge detail before blocking

Being blocked in the morning sun

Just look at those swirly bits and edges!

I mean--look at those--aren't they gorgeous!

Whoopee or whatever!

2010-02-12T16:42:00.000-06:00

The Knitting Olympics Athletes Pledge

I, a knitter of able hands and quick wits, to hereby swear that over the course of these Olympics I will uphold the highest standard of knitterly excellence.

I will be deft of hand and sure of pattern, I will overcome troubles of yarn overs and misplaced decreases. I will use the gifts of intelligence and persistence (as well as caffeine and chocolate) and I will execute my art to the highest form, carrying with me the hope for excellence known to every knitter.

I strive to win. To do my best, and to approach the needles with my own best effort in mind, without comparing myself to my fellow knitters, for they have challenges unique to them.

While I engage in this pursuit of excellence and my own personal, individual best, I also swear that I will continue to engage with my family in conversation, care for my pets, speak kindly with those who would ask me to do something other than knit, and above all, above every stitch thrown or picked, above every cable, every heel stitch, every change of colour, I swear this:

That I will remember that this is not the real Olympics, that I'm supposed to be having fun and that my happiness and self-worth ride not on my success....
but on my trying.

Let the games begin!

from the Yarn Harlot's blog

and just a couple more wintery thoughts (in pictures)

Golly, I love thick, frosty mornings!

Snowfall Photos

2010-02-08T14:53:00.001-06:00

It is snowing here today and I decided to try and make it into town to do a couple things that I needed to get done on my normal day off (gallery is closed). Of course, one of the things that I was really trying to get down was to work on bookmarking a video of the local city council meeting that I sent to upload on Friday and should have been up on the site already, but isn't and all that jazz--it takes a while--don't know why, but it just does, so I couldn't do that and the other thing I had to do wasn't exceedingly important, but at least I can do that. In process of my little drive in, I decided to get a few shots of the house and around the farm during our pretty snowfall!

Enjoy!

Have a happy day!

He's Home!

2010-02-04T12:20:00.000-06:00

Not home, home with his big sister and dad (and little sister who arrived from China this past summer, too), but with his mom in Florida! His "gotcha day" will forever be Feb. 4, 2010! About an hour ago he was released to his mother after 12 days or so of being separated from his sister in Haiti and a little over 3 weeks since the earthquake.

They hope to be able to get a flight home tonight! It is possible that tonight the family will finally be whole and sleeping in the same house for the very first time! I can't keep from smiling because he is finally in the arms of his mother!

You would think this would already be a done deal . . .

2010-01-26T12:10:00.000-06:00

I am sure frustration levels are at an extreme high with my friends right now. My friend's wife went down on Fri. with her sister and their daughter. A plane with some of the kids from the orphanage arrived on Sat. evening, but their children were not supposed to be on it. Then when she saw video of the children she saw her daughter Patricia in the group, but not her brother Philippe. Soooo . . . Patricia arrived on Sat. evening and they expected Philippe Sunday afternoon or Monday morning. Now, the Prime Minister has stopped the flights of the orphans with Philippe still in Haiti without his older sister. I am sure our State Senator has been contacted about this, but I am just astonished.

When my friends were planning on adopting they saw Patricia and then within the month they found out she had a younger brother. They knew that they would never separate siblings and how that would just break the hearts of these children. There is just no way that these kids who have been in the adoption process for two years have a different status of adoption--they have the same parents--and now they have been separated by people who just want to show that they are in charge. I don't know how they could think that this is an okay thing to do.

Also, by allowing these children to come to the US, the orphanage is better equipped to handle children who have been orphaned by the earthquake. They have already been able to take in about 30 children. If they didn't have to be worrying about the rest of the children waiting to come to the US, they would be able to care for more. I am sure it is the same way with other orphanages in Haiti.

I guess I understand not wanting children to be sent willy-nilly around the world, but I have not yet heard of any child coming over from Haiti that was not supposed to be adopted and didn't have their parents waiting for them. Maybe its happened, but you would sure think the news sources would be up on that happening as they have been at the airports waiting for the children along with parents.

Don't know what else to say . . .

Coming Home!

2010-01-22T16:05:00.000-06:00

The children should be coming home tonight or tomorrow morning! My friend's wife and her sister on on there way or already in FL now to pick up their kids whenever they arrive. I believe that 114 children from the orphanage will be coming to the US from this orphanage (these were the children already in process of being adopted). Now the orphanage will not need to care for so many children (approx. 15 children were not in process of being adopted yet) and can focus on helping birth families that are in need of help.

The kids have been back and forth and unsure of what will be happening to them for the past week during aftershocks and small amounts of food. Plus, media attention--CNN's Solodad O'Brien went with the children on the bus yesterday to the embassy (the bus ended up having to turn back as the children were getting sick in the heat and waiting in clogged streets).

I can often whine and complain (maybe not out loud all the time, but it is still there running through my mind) about how things are going in my life. Don't have enough money, our furniture is mostly handed down through family and friends, but I need to be reminded of how my life has been blessed. Those who have been blessed with much need to give much. Give their prayers, give their time, give what they can . . .

We have all been blessed in some way, so we should give of those blessings to others. What have you been blessed with? How can you use what you have to help those around you?

PS I think I may have to look back on this post when I want to start to whine about things. I'm one of those people who needs lots of reminders!

Update

2010-01-19T12:16:00.001-06:00

The kid's orphanage was on Fox News over the weekend. The reporter that came upon the orphanage found the children with almost no food and water with no help having arrived, but they alerted the powers that be and relief has been sent there way (what little there is that can actually get to them). Out of the 130 or so children there about 120 are already in process of being adopted and many of them have been in limbo for at least a year. There is a plane waiing for the kids in the Dominican Republic and our friends are on call to be ready to have their children very soon.

They are waiting on clearance from the State Department. All of the children have visas in hand and they just need the ok.

Soon, soon, soon!

Prayer for my friends kids in Haiti NEEDED

2010-01-16T13:21:00.001-06:00

My friends whose children are in one of the orphanages in Haiti need prayers sent their way. They just got news from the orphanage about the actual current status at the orphanage and are in need of real help.

Follow this link to the orphanage website for details.

Some good news: They have news from the state department that they will be trying to get all of the children who are in process of being adopted to their families in the US and finish the paperwork here, but they need to make it through until that time comes--with travel being the way it is and red tape that needs to get cut and also making sure that children and their paperwork can successfully be put together to find their families. There are also many other children who have lost their parents in this time and I am sure it is hard to know who to trust as well. My heart just cries for these kids!

Happy Birthday Dan!

2010-01-15T14:23:00.001-06:00

Dan doesn't go on the internet--we don't have internet at home--he doesn't quite know how to turn on the computer we have at home. Perhaps if we get the internet someday (hmmm, someway needed to convince Dan that this should become a monthly household expense--difficult to do with a person who doesn't care for computers) he would actually spend many hours just browsing all over at things rather than working on the house and making it nice. Hmmm . . . scrap that, 130-140 year old houses need work and we need to finish off projects. All that being said--he won't read this--he won't see how happy I am for him that it is his birthday and that we are going out to eat at Applebee's tonight. (and getting spicy wings--I am sure). BUT . . . I will let him know that I wrote up a little something about his birthday and I'll even let him know that I think he's kinda cute.

Anyone else want to send my wonderful husband well wishes? Just leave a comment and I'll let him know that somebody, somewhere out there that he has never heard of or might have heard a few words about at some point, but won't remember because he barely remembers that I have a blog because the word "blog" means nothing to him (except that Pioneer Woman has one and we stood in line for 5 hours to get my cookbook signed not to mention the 3 hours round trip in the vehicle).

Soooo . . . anyway Happy Birthday to my Dan. The one that takes the gross things out of the refrigerator for me, plows out the driveway, does the heavy lifting, does pretty leatherwork and remembers that I love wild flowers!

Help for Haiti

2010-01-14T12:36:00.001-06:00

Friends of mine have been going through the process of adopting 2 children from Haiti for the past couple of years. As many people are aware adoption processes can take a long time. During this time they have been down to visit their children several times, but have not been able to bring them home yet. The orphanage where they are staying did get damaged in the earthquake. So far it sounds like the children are ok, but a couple of workers at the orphanage were hurt. (The director and a nanny). We don't know the extent of their specific injuries, but please remember these children in your prayers and, if possible, send a donation to a solid charity that is working in Haiti.

Some suggestions:
Doctor's Without Borders
The Red Cross
World Relief
or if you would like send a donation directly to the orphanage where my friend's children are
http://www.forhisgloryoutreach.org/earthquake_relief

Please remember to pray for my friends who have already been struggling with not being able to bring their children home from an already devastated country. I cannot imagine how it must feel to know that your children are stuck in the middle of all of this.

The children and families of this country are already struggling so much and now this earthquake has taken so much more away. If you can send nothing else, send your love and prayers to people who are in great need.

Thank you.

Smiles for the New Year!

2010-01-07T13:56:00.001-06:00

Lake Jennie Church at Christmastime--our little country church

(There were a few tears before Christmas, I'm sad to say) All my busy times just got pushed together and if I was better at organizing my time, they might not have been there at all, but golly, I hate to organize my time!

We had Christmas Eve at our house this year for my family--no big deal really-everything as basically clean and it was just my parents and one of my brothers with his wife and son. The food was easy enough and I enjoy making food and making treats, but when you combine that with editing down school Christmas Programs (also a fun time), finishing off your own gifts to give (fun, too), and finishing off other people's gifts to give (fun as well, I like my job) it gets to be a lot of stuff to get done. Dan ended up doing all of the wrapping of presents which was very nice!

While my brother was at my place we went sledding out in the South yard (cow yard? former goat pasture?) with him and my nephew. With all the new snow we had gotten it was so much fun. Even the cows wanted in on the party (wish I had some pictures--I'm waiting on getting them from my brother as we had his camera out there with us).

Christmas was at Dan's parent's place and was really fun as well! Just a nice relaxing day with his family.

Dan had the whole week from Christmas through New Year's off, so he did all sorts of things around the house. Most not very visible (like leveling the stove and refrigerator, plugging up mouse holes, and helping sort through all the cupboards and the big walk-in closet) We threw away so much stuff and have things a lot more organized once again.

Now just a couple of fun photos of the critters I've taken the last couple weeks!

Dakota rolling in the driveway on a cold winter's day--

it was well below zero at this point, but she'd been cooped up inside all night!

Forgive the bit of blurriness and shadow in this picture, I've been trying to get a good picture of Bernie as he sucks on one of our blankets for a while and this is the best one so far (what with poor lighting and the flash blowing out the picture). Bernie just loves to nurse on blankets--a comforting thing I suppose since his mother left him alone in our chicken coop at such a young age. Norman used to do this, too with one of our extremely soft blankets, but Bernie really seems to like these striped wool Southwestern style blankets. Never knew bright blue stripes looked so much like a mother cat! (Of course, Norman has also stepped in as a surrogate mother at times--who knew a big 6 year-old neutered male cat could be such a loving mother!)

Hope the new year will bring you smiles and fun moments now and again, too!

Closer

2009-12-22T17:20:00.001-06:00

I just finished editing two Christmas programs to go up on the local cable channel and also finished off the framing jobs I needed to do before Christmas. Feeling a little less crunched. Didn't finish all I had hoped (my brother's family will be getting their Christmas box after Christmas--just didn't have time to package it up, yet), but as long as I get those programs i just edited onto the air tomorrow afternoon I think everything will be just fine ;)

Just Keep Breathing

2009-12-21T10:45:00.001-06:00

Finishing Christmas presents that need to go into the mail today, putting Christmas programs up on the air on the local cable channel, if it doesn't get done, it doesn't get done, but I'll try to finish it up . . .
See you at the end!

New blog title, but same old blog

2009-12-17T17:07:00.001-06:00

A Wilde Rose In Minnesota

I so often have content other than knitting that I was thinking it was time for me to change my title. I'm staying right here, but just changing the title on my page to reflect more of who I am and what I actually write. I will be going through and adding labels to all of my posts in the coming weeks, so that if by some chance you want to look for some specific type of post you might be able to find it. (Let's hope I'm smart enough to figure it all out!).

That's all for now, so I'll leave you with this . . .

A photo Dan took of our house earlier this Fall. He's a good picture taker!

Have a great day!--Christmas knitting is nearly done (would be done, except that now that I find I have more time, I am adding to the list!).

Camera card stayed home today

2009-12-16T13:43:00.003-06:00

Not much to say--just that I am chilly today. My little hand mitts feel like they should be full-on mittens today!

I have some fun little pictures of things, but I left the camera card at home today by my home computer where I made up my Christmas letters to send out to family the other day. Oh well.

Happy Wednesday.

Oooo . . . I finished up two Christmas presents over the weekend! (and started a quick other one last night--I may even add a couple of dishcloths to the mix later on if I think I can handle it--that might be too much to do, though)

Chilly, Christmas-y Winter Days Are Here Again

2009-12-10T17:00:00.006-06:00

Brrrr . . . I'm chilly today . . . and yesterday . . . and the day before

Do I use . . . too much?

I don't know . . . (he, he, he)

Well, this post hasn't said much so far, but I thought I would show you one thing I had designed in the last month that might be of some interest.

For the last couple of years, I have been designing and printing banners to be hung at my church during different seasons of the year. Our little country church gets decorated so beautifully at Christmastime with candles, wreaths, and greenery. It already looked so special, so I didn't know if anyone really wanted me to design anything to be put up in front for Christmas, but I asked the Pastor and he said that he thought people would like them during this season as well.

So this is what I came up with . . .

I split this picture in two and it is up on either side of the cross in front of the church. The thing I like about this picture most is the scene truly is from the hillside around Bethlehem. (Although a heavily photoshopped version of it all!)

Dan took a picture looking out over Bethlehem when we went to Israel a couple of years ago. Do you notice the tall mound on the far right. That is a Herodioan (built by Herod/Herod's people) from way, way, way back to before the time of Jesus (at least that is my understanding). Mary and Joseph would have looked out on those hills, the Magi may have had to have crossed those hills to get back home. Those hills were there when Jesus was born and, if hills could talk, could attest to have seen angels in the air announcing His birth. Anyway, those are some special hills :o)

Do you want to see the real picture Dan took?

Well, yes, you do.

The part in the banners is in the way back--I am doubting that Bethlehem currently looks much the same as it did in Jesus' time. I hope I did it all some justice in the banners (highly smooshed and manipulated is they may be).

***Me on my bit of a soap box***
I think that there are times when people today think that God doesn't really have anything to do with the world anymore (if He ever did). That maybe He just ended stuff whenever the Bible was done being written (or, that whole thing was faked anyway). He doesn't care about anyone, none of what He did (or was thought to do) can really be explained, so He must not really be out there at all. I get that. I can understand that people don't see things the same way as I do, but, I say, "What if . . .what if God truly is there and truly loves each one of us and truly has a plan for every single persons life on this earth? What if He truly has known you since before you were born?"

My mind and my heart say that we will see one day that God and all the science and everything out there really do work together. And that thoses hills that were there way back at Jesus birth will attest to the fact that He was born one night 2000+ years ago to really save the people of this world (before and after Him) from the sins that have separated us from our perfect relationship with God since the Fall of Adam.

But, I digress, I am not here to start some kind of theological argument. I just get thoughtful about things sometimes and don't know where to put those thoughts except for out here somewhere where they might cause someone else to think something or other.

Well, enjoy these special days and I hope that wherever you are (here in my hometown or out far away) that your fingers and toes are warm and will continue to be throughout the winter.

Movin' on Up to the North Side

2009-12-02T16:34:00.002-06:00

All of the kitties are now in their permanent homes. Ernie and Mort (the two in the back) moved up to my parents new place just to the North of our place last night. Norman and Bernie remain home with us. This picture was taken on their last night all together relaxing on the couch. :o)

Last night after we got the kittens moved away (the whole 1/8 of a mile), we decorated the tree (I use the term "we" loosely as Dan wasn't feeling very well).

So this is what it looked like in the morning

and this is what it looked like last night.

I realize this isn't the best picture showing how everything looks in every way, but it is pretty and glowing. Pretty good for using manual focus and no tripod in the dark.

Especially after you look at this

I was really trying to get a nice shot of this

This photo is the closest I got last night, but maybe I should try putting the camera on a tripod, focusing with the lights on, and then turning the lights off. You know, like you're supposed to do? Although, I do have to say I really like this picture so far!

And in honor of the Yarn Harlot's post
Shazam!

I just wanted to be cool and say it once, too. Because of course all of the cool people say shazam.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-27T15:19:00.003-06:00

We spent Thanksgiving at my in-laws with 50 of our closest relatives (really--and that wasn't even all of them). This year was my mil's turn to host and she did a great job. The hostess always makes the turkey (or 3 as the case may be) and mashed potatoes while everyone else brings along the side dishes and dessert. I brought this

Scrumptious Apple Pie--recipe on tasty kitchen by the Pioneer Woman

Mmmmm, tasty!

Here's a close-up of all of it's caramel-y goodness (I have the hardest time spelling caramel--I want to spell it carmel or caramal or caranimal, well, maybe not caranimal)

In the purpose of full disclosure, let me tell you that both Dan and I got a piece of this pie, but by the time my mother-in-law was ready for pie it was all gone--we philistines had eaten it all up and there was none left for our wonderful hostess. I am making another one today, but it is for my family Thanksgiving tomorrow! I will also be making this for Christmas when we get together once again, but this time it will just be immediate family--she'd better get some!

After a full day at their place visiting with cousins that we don't see all that often and Dan's brother Jason who moved down to Missouri last year, we went home and rested well.

Now, tomorrow will be a big day. My parents are moving into their new house (well, their stuff will be moving at least) and it is also the first hay auction of the season around here. We have hay to sell from this past summer, so Dan thought he had better load up the truck to bring the hay over before the truck needs to be used to move my parent's things.

Take no notice of the tarp on the garage roof--someday we'll be re-roofing it, but for that is back a ways on the list of priorities for our old farm place. Somewhere behind finishing off our upstairs (or maybe not--I've never lived in a finished house--what is that like?)
But do take notice that there are some hangers on up on that pile of hay.

You say you want to see that a little closer?
Alrighty
That's Mike and Betty--we'd better shoo them off before Dan goes out on the road, but for now they're enjoying sitting on the warmed up hay.

One other thing--do you notice that little bell hanging from the rear-view mirror of the truck. That bell is a leftover from our wedding day over 7 years ago. (We gave our little bells as wedding favors) Dan put that bell up before we left for our honeymoon and it has been there ever since.

Well, hope your weekend is great and that you were able to spend Thanksgiving with people that you love!

Pioneer Woman (and some knitting and cuteness, too)

2009-11-24T11:37:00.006-06:00

I will now eternally owe my husband ummm . . . anything he ever wants. My wonderful Dan stood in line with me for five hours at the Mall of America to get my PW Cookbook signed (and the one I'm giving to my brother-in-law, too--I didn't leave him out).

We became bosom buddies with our neighbors in line by the end of the day--saving spots for bathroom breaks, food breaks, I'm going crazy breaks (I don't think we actually got a break from going crazy--just went further in, I guess).

Marlboro Man and sons

I got our books signed by Marlboro Man, too not long before he and the boys left for a bit to get some supper and to get out of the giant crowds of people. Notice the security guard in this shot? There were a bunch of them around and they were being followed by camera crews!

Why would a camera crew be interested in following Mall Cops around you ask? A new reality show on TLC called Mall Cop: something or other about Mall of America Security. We kept wondering why on earth camera crews along with security kept going around the crowd of people waiting to get there book signed and then one of the girls standing in line with me had an epiphany and recalled seeing a story on one of the local news shows about it. So funny! Dan said that he thought it would be a pretty boring show, but hey, if you get TLC and happen to see a this show about the Pioneer Woman keep a look out for Dan--he's the only one in a cowboy hat in the whole crowd, so you'll likely be able to pick him out. (I'm standing right next to him, but I'm short). We don't get satellite or cable at my house (too expensive when you live out in the boonies (or a mile from town)), so I won't see it at all.

Ree and me (my hair looked prettier earlier in the day--I promise)

Finally we reached PW and she so graciously (not that she wouldn't be) signed my two books. I also gave her a print of one of my cattle marker drawings--a little worse for wear after holding it for 5 hours, so if you happen to read this Ree, I can send you another one!

ETA: Hmmm . . . I guess I was so far back in line, I didn't realize there were a few exciting moments with a bomb-sniffing dog. I am going to have to wait until PW's post on the MOA. It should be really fun!

It was a long day, but a good day. I came home surprised at how sore a person can get after just standing all day. It isn't quite as sore as I used to get when I was a waitress at the Red Rooster Cafe and surprisingly enough, even with all those people, it didn't smell nearly as bad either. (can I just say that I am so thankful for the smoking ban in MN--the combination of smoke, eggs, and bleach is just not a pleasant smell--it will forever make my stomach turn. I mean, I suppose it makes other people's stomachs turn as well, so I'm sure it isn't just me, or is it?--but enough of smells that we don't want to think about, I was doing a post about PW, wasn't I? and then I was going to show you some other cute pictures from the farm without going into any smell discussions)

First, I've been working on my Mother-in-Law's Christmas socks. They should be ready in time for Christmas I'm sure. I don't think she remembers that I am making her socks because I was knitting them right in front of her on Sunday and she had no clue that they were hers or maybe she does know, but didn't want to pressume?

The fur and whiskers are not a part of this sock, but rather a part of a curious kitten

The kittens really like the first sock. I'll have to see if they approve of the second one.

Speaking of kittens--they remain extremely cute.

They can mess up a house like nobodies business, get up on the table on knock things over (the chairs are no longer tucked under the table, by the way), and try to tear apart your knitting instructions, but then they go and sit in a little pile like this right in the afternoon sun and you just can't be mad at them. I mean--they're glowing . . . like angels?

And then there is this . . .

I mean, what are you going to do with this? Ahhh, Biff, you are one cute little steer. Don't remind me about what will be to come. I know it is coming--that is why we named our whethers things like lambchop when we were growing up, but for now, I am just going to pretend you are going to stay a little steer calf growing up on our little hills. At least I know you'll be happy here.

Baby Bonnet

2009-11-11T15:27:00.003-06:00

Congratulations to our friends Ben and Colleen who just had baby Sierra this morning a little before 10!

In honor of the new little one, I finished off her baby bonnet last night--hopefully we will be able to meet her sometime this week!

From the front--look at those cute little tassels!

From the side--just a little look at more of the shape.

This one shows the color a little better!

I was able to use two skeins that had only been partially used up on making the add-on pieces for some baby viking hats I had made for children of family and friends last winter. Several years ago I used this same pattern for Dan's cousin's first daughter and only used white. It was very pretty, but I do like the combination of color on this one a lot. (sorry, did that one long before I had a blog).

The pattern is from my mom and grandma's old knitting book The Complete Book of Knitting by Elizabeth L. Mathieson.

Bernie

2009-11-06T16:35:00.003-06:00

I figured out why the kittens always like to sit in front of the refrigerator. That's where it cycles out the warm air. I mean I knew that way back in the back of my mind, but was constantly wondering why they were sitting there--especially when I'm making supper and having to open it.

No pictures of these yet, but I just started working on a pair of socks (Christmas gift) and another little baby hat (more of a knitted bonnet than a hat really-something nice and girlie for a baby that should be born next week--I really should have started it sooner, but I just figured out the exact pattern I wanted to use and pulled the yarn out of my yarn basket last night. If there is enough yarn I might add some mittens.)

Facebook Fan Page and some fun!

2009-10-29T14:11:00.004-05:00

Ummm . . . don't know if you are on Facebook or not, but I just set up a Fan page for the gallery that my dad and I run in our small town. It is called Robert Wilde Studios. If you are interested in artwork or pictures from Rural MN become a fan and you can see the various events happening around here. There is a link on the side bar. Thanks for allowing my shameless plug . . .

In honor of your kindness here is a recent photo (last night in fact) of our baby kittens.

Ernie, Bernie, and Mort--I'll admit Bernie is a bit of a dork, but what a cute little dork--I love him to bits!

Now, how about a couple of finished projects! Woohoo . . .

My dad's birthday mitts are done--a wee bit late seeing as how is birthday was in April, but he only really started needing them a few weeks ago when the weather got cold! They wouldn't have been very useful during the Summer months. Oh, I made the pattern up--seeing as how each mitt fits a little differently (the second one is a little tighter than the first), I don't remember exactly how I did it.

And a baby hat for a baby shower that I am going to on Sat. for Dan's cousin who just adopted a 4 month old baby boy! I wish I could keep it for myself, but it doesn't fit well enough. Made using Ann Budd's Handy Book of Pattern's guidelines.

Happenings

2009-10-09T16:59:00.004-05:00

A few pictures of what has been going on around here.

Our trip to the North Shore of MN.

Dan and I in Two Harbors

Gooseberry Falls

Sunrise on Lake Superior

Working on the house.

A bunch of guys from church came to help side our house. Not quite done yet, but hopefully this can get done soon!

Baby kitty

One of the joys of having a farm is that we always have kittens around. Occasionally a few end up being orphaned by their mothers. This is Ernie. Sadly he had a sister who died yesterday morning, but he also has a brother to keep him company.

The cows

Our new foster cows--maybe that is what the are--all I know is they are owned by Dans cousin Tim, but they stay at our place and we feed them and keep an eye out on them.

Remember when . . .

2009-10-06T11:53:00.001-05:00

Saw this on Karen's blog and just couldn't pass it up.

If you read this, if your eyes are passing over this right now, even if we don't speak often, please post a comment with a COMPLETELY MADE UP AND FICTIONAL MEMORY OF YOU AND ME. It can be anything you want--good or bad--BUT IT HAS TO BE FAKE. When you're finished, post this on your blog and be surprised (or mortified) about what people DON'T ACTUALLY remember about you.

Submitted

2009-09-25T14:33:00.005-05:00

In the quietness of the gallery this afternoon, I clicked the mouse on the submit button. Did I make any mistakes? Is my work good enough? Am I truly an artist of quality? Will they like me? Little me from my little town? Am I good enough? Do I qualify?

This is a dream that I sure hope could come true and now that I have clicked submit, time will tell. One month from now I could be being visited by judges looking at my work deciding if I will truly get this or I will just spend another weekend at home. Just to be a finalist would be something, but please, please, please could I be good enough to get this grant?

Needing prayers.

So Sleepy

2009-08-21T13:33:00.001-05:00

Can I go home and rest now?

Nope, not till Monday

dun, da, da, daaaaa . . .

2009-07-10T14:44:00.005-05:00

Well, we made it through the 4th of July and my 30th birthday :o∫
There, I said it--I am no longer in my 20's and care free (as care free as someone with a 40 acre farmstead can be), but I guess I can be 30 and just fine--I just thought I should feel more like a grown up when I turned 30 (not especially on that day, but you know just as life goes along). Of course, it might be a youngest child thing, too. I don't think youngest children probably ever feel like they are the most grown up anyway. Always have somebody older telling us that we aren't doing it right.

Oh well, I'm still enjoying my camera and taking photos around the farm--Dan got me a nice camera case for my birthday, so now I feel a little more secure about bringing it from place to place without wrecking it.

We've made hay and there is more to be made, again--no wonder we can never get to finishing the siding on our house . . .

I snapped a shot of Dan before he went out on the tractor with his hay gear on--He did end up taking the sunglasses off-they made him look silly.

Mowing the grass/clover field

Dan put our old metal wheels up in the arch to the pasture.

Dairy/Berry Day in town was well attended (free root beer floats and strawberry sundaes--what do you expect?)

The light around here this summer has just made things look so nice--I'll have to see sometime what it can do for me (will it give me back my size 6 body?--probably not)

I love the lightening rods on our barn--the barn was built in 1918 after the other barn on our property burned down from a lightening strike--those rods have been there ever since!

The wild roses were blooming around here near the end of June--I just love them. It is amazing what prettiness just lies down in the ditches of our gravel roads!

On that note--have a great weekend and take some time to smell the roses.

Still Alive

2009-06-26T15:17:00.006-05:00

No knitting lately--my wrists and arms seem to have been hurting off and on for the past month or so. Probably because I have to do a lot more typing now (working two days a week as a church secretary and making two newsletters that total about 24 pages every month). I suppose I should see someone about that, huh? Or maybe I'll just get some comfort from some precious kittens at home instead!

I don't think Dan will let me name him Squishy McSnookersons, but maybe I could call him Frank instead.

I've been thinking of naming her Myrtle or Madge.

I'm not sure what to name him, but he might become my parent's kitten, so I'll let them handle that--I've got 12 others to worry about . . . and speaking piles of kittens.

They're getting bigger everyday.

On other subjects . . .

We made 12 batches of maple syrup this year totaling over 70 quarts. Pretty good for a couple of amateurs.

Had a campfire a little while back. I had fun taking pictures of the flames.

The sun was setting as we sat in the pasture enjoying our fire. That was a beautiful night.

More pictures of the goings on around my place in the last couple months will be coming. I thought putting 20 pictures into one post might be a bit much.

Busy Signals

2009-04-22T12:44:00.002-05:00

Crazy, busy life going on right now---sorry no updates for a while---if anyone ever reads this anyway!

Just saw this . . .

2009-03-09T18:34:00.002-05:00

Not that this is anything all that new to anyone, but I found it interesting when I saw it on Isela's blog.

If you want to do the same thing just snag it and bold the stuff you've done.

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Gone rollerskating

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Acted in a play or performed on stage

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted-not painted, but drawn

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible once

86. Visited the White House

87. Won money

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Had to put someone you love in Hospice Care

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

100. Read an entire book in one day

Umm . . . I don't know if anyone told you, but it's March now

2009-03-07T12:14:00.004-06:00

Hey, it has been a while--a long while, but I thought I would let you know I am still here. Instead of trying to sum in in words, I will sum up in pictures.

(except to also say--haven't been at the gallery much as Winter months are always slow and also started a new job two days a week because, ummm, bringing money home is always a good thing especially when we want to eat and do things)

Dan had his 30th birthday in January

His dad also turned 60--we left up the tree until after Dan's birthday because it took a lot of effort to do this one--it involved having it wired to the wall!

We took out the old wood furnace (in the back of the photograh)

And installed this fancy-shmancey-new-fangled wood furnace---it's so purty!

I finished these Plain Jane style toe-up socks. They are knee highs! (and I have now given them to my neice as she saw one of them when they were finished and she seemed to like them a lot--She already plans to wear them to school with a pair of shorts come Spring!)

It has snowed here and Reno likes to stand in picturesque ways out in the barnyard (technically, this is the goat pasture to my way of thinking because when I was little we had dairy goats and it was thus named "the goat pasture" (as opposed to the sheep pasture, except we didn't have a sheep pasture, just sheep and a large pasture--oh, I don't know why anything is named the way it is, I was little and these are my memories, I don't know what they mean) because there is another yard attached to it that is directly behind the barn and that is really the barnyard, so I don't know what to call this part of the pasture--maybe I'll just call it the South Yard)

And Mike likes to sit in picturesque ways on this little sleigh when it is sunny out!

On Valentine's Day Dan and I and the dogs went for a long walk--it was windy and sunny. We had fun even if Dan looked a little silly--you'll notice there are no pictures of me, so nobody can recall how silly I looked.

Other things have happened in the last few weeks (including adding a new cat to the household and having that yellow dog in the background of the last picture run away (Montana loves to run and find new people to have fun with, sometimes she won't come home and this last time even with all of the precautions we had taken to prevent running away she got loose and is gone. Dakota is very sad and howls at night missing her friend--in fact she went searching for her the day Montana ran away and came back home very sad and sore)).

Well, things are looking up anyway and it is about time to make maple syrup again.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-03T13:32:00.002-06:00

We spent New Year's Eve at a friends house and had a lot of fun. We got to see a Wii in use which was fun and we played Apples to Apples with our friends and a tweenage girl. We were able to laugh a lot, spend time with people we don't see very often, and even use the 4 wheel drive to get one of the party goers out of the ditch (the driveway is kind of a killer sometimes and it was very icy this year).

New Years Day we slept late and watched a couple of movies and yesterday we moved our water heater to a different spot so that we will be able to put our new furnace in sometime in the next week or two. (It involved redoing plumbing and electrical stuff as well as using a floor jack and balancing a big water heater on a strip of metal). Soon we will have to redo duct work. Fun, fun, fun!

Yesterday and today I am succumbing to a nasty sinus infection and am having trouble thinking much. If I haven't made much sense so far, sorry.

In a weak moment I took a little quiz and here are the results . . .

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Doris!

I've always felt a bit like Doris Day I guess. I am a bit naive sometimes, but I stay that way purposefully. I'd rather look at life with love than with scepticism.

Merry Belated Christmas

2008-12-27T16:02:00.003-06:00

Hey all, just a quick note to wish all of you a Merry Christmas. I realize it was 2 days ago, but really the Christmas season lasts until Epiphany (Jan. 6 or is the the 4th--maybe I should actually check things out before I write them) anyway (and doesn't start in mid-Nov or earlier as Walmart would lead us all to believe).

I received a few wonderful things from some very wonderful family members who know me so very well. My brother and sister-in-law (well maybe just my sister-in-law) gave me a giant bag of beautiful wool yarns. My sil used to go to the Yarn Cafe every week for their knit night, so when they went out of business this fall (sadly) she was at least able to help them out by picking up large quantities of yarn (for me of all people--how did she know?).

The other gift that brought tears to my eyes was the item I have stolen so often in the past few years from my dad. He gave me his Canon. I was in shock. (and am hoping that he has plans to replace it with a brand spanking new one very soon) Now, I won't feel guilty grabbing it and taking lots more pictures.

December One, the Year's Almost Done

2008-12-01T18:21:00.003-06:00

I feel like Fezzik from The Princess Bride sometimes when I write titles for my posts.
Pretty soon someone is going to say something like, "Stop it, not, I mean it."
and I'll shoot back, "Anybody want a peanut?"

Last week I was thinking about the Tie One On Day and thought, "Hmmm what should I do about it all."

I ended up making a bunch of whole wheat dinner rolls on Sunday afternoon (23rd) and was thinking about how I might be able to get some kind of apron. Now, I currently have three aprons and I am very attached to each one of them, so I was thinking I would go out and buy one. Then thought, "Hmmm, there is no money in my checking account right now and I don't think Dan will consider me getting an apron that essential of a thing to do, so I guess I will have to make one."

Then I remembered all of my mom's old sewing patterns are still at my house (they've never left actually).

And I found her old apron pattern!

With that I looked through my stash of fabric (Tuesday morning--I am a procrastinator after all). And started to work.

I was up all night (because other things had to get done that day too) and I was able to finish it off in time to bring it over to a woman I know who was in need of some encouragement.

I turned out sooooo pretty that I had to take a couple pictures of it!

And now, I have to make one for my mom. (She saw it and now needs one, too).

I am so excited that I was actually able to make something so pretty and this woman I brought it to just loved it (and the bread) so much. She told me that she has really been wanting an apron and doesn't have one!

So that was that and then . . .

Dan and I had a good Thanksgiving weekend. On Thursday we went to his aunt's house for the big Thanksgiving. I would say there were at least 40 people there. (And that wasn't even the whole family). Friday was pretty much a day of resting (I came into work for a couple of hours, though) or rather getting the house ready for my brother's family to stay the night on Saturday. Then Saturday we had my family's Thanksgiving dinner here in town at my parent's apartment. Two of my older brother's and their families came and we had a brief video conference thingy with my other brother's family from Idaho.

Keep thinking of things that we can do to help others out!

Take him out back to the woodpile

2008-11-21T17:04:00.004-06:00

Back when I used to work at the school for boys who had gotten into trouble, they used to have to move woodpiles back and forth as a punishment for doing not so nice things.

Well, at our house, it isn't technically a punishment because, ummm, even if it isn't much fun we still have to do it, so the house can be warm.

Dan wanted me to take a picture of him and all that he (his brother helped a bit) has accomplished in the past year in regards to woodpiles (this doesn't include what is already in the basement).

Now, take special notice in this close-up of the dangerous hazards that can befall you while working in the out-of-doors around our place.

Dan might be wearing a warm fur cap (it was really windy that day), but I don't think it was supposed to come with a Siamese Cat attachment.

I promise to help Dan move these woodpiles into the house slowly, but surely as Winter progresses . . . no more snow since the bit that had fallen earlier in the month, but it has been chilly, chilly lately. Ice is now covering the lake just down the road from us. Dan is hoping that it will continue to freeze well, so that he might be able to go ice-skating the day after Thanksgiving.

Ohh, one more picture.

This is from Thanksgiving Day 6 years ago (Dan and I were just married). We went ice skating on this little lake not too far from his parents' place with his old dog, Ginger. We had so much fun! She loved ice skating and would even pull you around out on the ice!

Kindness and other qualities that are kinda nice . . .

2008-11-18T13:42:00.004-06:00

(Here is a random picture I took of Dan's aunt and uncle's shed just to distract you from the fact that I am a rambling person lately)

So anyway, kindness . . .

I don't know how many of you have come to my blog lately and seen on the sidebar that I have a link to National Tie One On Day (the day before Thanksgiving). By participating in this day you would make (or goodness, even go out and buy) a loaf of bread, write a little note of encouragement of some kind, wrap it up in an apron, and deliver it to someone in need of sustenance or encouragement. (If you have the means, go ahead and give more than a loaf of bread, I say, especially if you know a family is in need of sustenance).

This day perfectly wraps up what we should be doing for eachother every day. In some small way or in large ways let us all think of something we can do to encourage our neighbors whether near or far. I know I need it often enough and I know that you all need it, too.

Other organizations that do similar things to this are Operation Christmas Child, Heifer, your local food shelf, your local church, Feed the Children--the list goes on and on.

Just last night on the news, I heard of a woman just North of where I live that put an ad on Craig's List to give one family a Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings. Now, there is a woman that we can all aspire to be.

Let us do likewise, and not just at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but in January and May and August. I am not perfect in providing care and encouragement to others and I certainly need to work harder at it and not get frustrated when there are those who will take advantage of other people's kindnesses.

Let us love one another . . .

Things and all

2008-11-13T16:50:00.002-06:00

It snowed this past week. At the moment it has all melted and gone, but it will soon be back. This week has been a rush of so many things-dance classes (being taught by me because the instructor was sick--aack!--and the recital is only a few weeks away--double aack!), driving to the cities, going down to Iowa last weekend to see my brother in a beautiful 0pera, The Sparks Fly Upward, (I knew he had a part, but goodness, I mean this was a PART--it was the premier of an opera about the holocaust in which there are three main families-two Jewish and one Christian-all friends. My brother played the part of the husband in the Christian family that helped to hide and protect the other families----it was a wonderful and moving opera. The composer has been working on it for 15 years and is hoping that it will get picked up by a producer or go on tour or who knows.), getting ready for an open house at the gallery, and more and more . . .

Let's look at a picture or two instead of having me write, huh?

All Better!

I'm not sure on a good title . . .

2008-11-06T12:39:00.002-06:00

Hey, all---I don't know if you are a person like me (probably not, I suppose), but I have mixed feelings about events this week.

Don't get me wrong, I do think that Barack Obama and Joe Biden will do a decent job being in office. I really do think that somehow, some way people will be able to work together on things again and I am hopeful for our future.

I am a person that gets sad when people are rude to one another and who likes to see people being kind to one another. I guess I say this as an Evangelical Christian person who feels hurt by how Evangelical Christian people are shown as being ignorant of the world and extremely unkind to others who hold different beliefs from them. For me, being a Christian means that I should love others around me, including the people that are mean to me and who I disagree with, and that I should constantly strive to all around me with the same kindness Christ showed to those around Him. Maybe I am thought of as silly and naive, but I would rather look dumb, I guess, than to be someone else that I am not.

I may not be making a whole lot of sense to anyone, I am just writing out some thoughts I have had in the past few days. I was reminded recently of one of the administrators that used to speak once a week at chapel during college. He was doing a series from the Sermon on the Mount and would often tell us college students who worried about what we should be doing with our lives and what kind of jobs we would have later on and who we should be dating and all of that, "I don't know what major you should have or the person you should marry, but I do know that God's will for your life is to . . . (love one another, look at your own faults before you look at the faults of others, or care for those in need depending on the section from the Sermon on the Mount he had been preaching from that day).

I guess I think back on those days a lot when I see some controversial subject being talked about and I think, "Hmmm, God wants me to love my neighbor and my neighbor is everyone, right? I guess I need to be conscious of doing that whether I understand their life or not. God knows what He is doing and things will turn out well."

I think back on those days when Dan and I are wondering how money situations will get handled and I think, "Okay, God has things under control and I don't need to worry. Just keep going and doing the work that needs to get done and somehow things will be fine." Fine doesn't mean things won't be hard. Fine doesn't mean I get everything I want, but fine means that I will somehow have the things I need when I need them most.

Ummm . . . anyway, let's try and to be kind to one another and not be mean to someone who might have voted differently than you or I or whomever else. A little love and kindness to those who are hurting (and even to those who are not hurting) can go a long way to making people whole again.

The Weekend and Horse Adventures

2008-11-03T13:40:00.003-06:00

Well, Dan and I had a wonderful weekend, for the most part. Fun times on Halloween with a bonfire, hayride, and friends over on Friday night. Saturday was a beautiful day as well. We went out into the pasture and had a little campfire out by this little cabin my brother built many years ago all by ourselves (well, Little Hank and the dogs came out with us and the horses were munching on grass in the background, so we weren't totally "by ourselves" I guess)

If you look straight above the round bale a little ways, you will see a little whitish thing on the hill and that is the cabin. My mom took this picture before Dan and I were married (over six years ago now, but the landscape hasn't changed all that much except that we make small square bales not round bales)

Sunday we went to church and then ate out at Carlson's Orchard which is a restaurant and apple orchard open only in the Fall that I worked at for one season (the year Dan and I were married in fact). Mmmm . . . we had tasty fresh foccacia club sandwiches, cider, a little soup, and apple pie!

We came home and Dan decided he would like to try out riding Beauty. (My horse that I have not yet ridden, but she has been ridden about three times and worked with some and all that, ummm, but she is still stubborn about stuff (hmmm, much like me)).

She behaved really quite well as Dan was putting the saddle on and adjusting and tightening things. I mean not perfect or anything, but she wasn't mad at all. Then Dan got on her and she was just like a bucking bronco. (and I was standing right next to them--eeeeks)

Well, I ran away, Dan flew off her, and then she came running back for me. Then I had to run again. Dan said she looked like she was about to pounce on me and I thought it seemed like she was trying to slow herself down not to hit me, but there are now huge skid marks at the spot I had been standing. Poor Dan got the brunt of it all though. It has been a while since he was thrown off a horse (In fact, I believe he has been thrown off of all of our horses now. Old Reno used to be a fighter and Checotah was even worse. They have calmed down a great deal now that they are in their mid-twenties). Nothing is broken and I gave him a good back massage last night, but he may be needing to see the chiropractor. We'll see how he is feeling tonight. His neck felt stiff this morning, but he wasn't dizzy or anything!

Beauty calmed down, too. She was able to get led around and have the saddle get pulled on and pushed around on her and all of that without getting upset. Next time Dan will take more time getting up on her (he said that she seemed so calm up to that point it didn't seem like he would have to do the normal just leaning on the saddle a bit and that kind of stuff, but he figures that was a bad idea now) and hopefully she will respond a lot more nicely.

Poor Dan gets the tough jobs around our house--all I really spent the day doing yesterday was washing and folding clothes and doing some Christmas knitting.

She's Got Personality

2008-10-27T13:51:00.000-05:00

Your result for What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test...

Non-conformist, Visionary, and Independent

4 Abstract, -6 Islamic, -6 Ukiyo-e, -1 Cubist, -4 Impressionist and -14 Renaissance!

Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which exists independently of what may appear to others as visual realities. Western had been underpinned by the logic of perspective and an attempt to reproduce an illusion of visible reality. It allowed the progressive thinking artists to show a different side to the world around them. By the end of the 19th century many artists felt a need to create a 'new kind of art' which would encompass the fundamental changes taking place in technology, science and philosophy. Abstract artists created art that was diverse and reflected the social and intellectual turmoil in all areas of Western culture.

People that chose abstract art as their preferred artform tend to be visionaries. They see things in the world around them and in people that others may miss because they look beyond what is visual only with the eye. They rely on their inner thoughts and feelings in dealing with the world around them instead of on what they are told they should think and feel. They feel freed from the tendency to be bound by traditional thought and experiences. They look more toward their own ideas and experiences than what they are told by their religious upbringing or from scientific evidence. They tend to like to prove theories themselves instead of relying on the insight or ideas of others. They are not bound by common and mundane, but like to travel and have new experiences. They value intelligence, but they also enjoy a challenge. They can be rather argumentative when they are being forced or feel as if they are being forced to conform.

Take What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test at HelloQuizzy

Alarming ;o)

2008-10-24T16:39:00.002-05:00

Well, guess how I spent most of my afternoon . . .
Dealing with an alarm system and trying to get ahold of people who can fix it. Thankfully, all is well now and has been fixed, but golly-gee these systems are a little screwy sometimes.

Anyway, now tonight I get to go to a play with friends (wooo, its a double date-how exciting). We are going to see a community theater production of Arsenic and Old Lace starring the director of our old high school one act plays plus a couple of other productions I have been in. It should be fun.

Chilly

2008-10-23T16:11:00.004-05:00

I am cold today--been chilled all day ever since I got out from underneath my warm, cozy covers this morning. (I didn't want to leave them, but I had to go and do things that just aren't getting done all that well today because I never really wanted to leave my warm, cozy bed). We have 3 quilts and one of those warm fuzzy blankets on our bed right now and that sound so nice . . .

I am currently wearing these cozy leg warmers-in fact I did last night, too along with socks and a pair of fuzzy slippers with a blanket wrapper around me as I knit and watched TV

It was 52 in our house this morning when I woke up--I don't know what it was when Dan left for work this morning at 6, but he was cold, too. He even said so and his poor hands and nose were cold, too. I know this would be a fairly easy thing to fix. We could plug in our electric baseboard heaters, but I hate to have to pay for too much electricity as it is only October and we have a whole winter ahead of us.

Soon you will begin to warm our home, won't you?

We were going to bring wood into the basement this week (and still will), but it will take a bit of situating as things with the well and other stuff happened in the basement this summer and the spot where we haul the wood into has some shelves in it at the moment and so an old fruit cellar has to have scary spider webs and nasty things taken out of it to put the shelves into it,blah, blah, blah . . . all fine and good and we even could have brought in a little bit of wood just to last us a few days, but then it rained good and plenty on the wood, so I am cold today . . . not the worst thing ever, but I just wanted to whine for a few minutes.

Thanks!

I think I will make some nice eggs with ham and toast for supper tonight. That sounds warm delicious. mmmm

Changing

2008-10-20T15:38:00.006-05:00

It has been chilly here lately. Enough so, that we need to start bringing wood in the house to warm up this week. (Our house has lately been ranging in temperatures between the mid-fifties and mid-sixties) If we weren't such cheapskates we would have already had some kind of heat on for the past few weeks. Instead we have big blankets on the couch, nice fuzzy slippers, and plenty of quilts on the bed. (I think I am going to put the flannel sheets on this week, too).

With the cool days come beautiful colors and the need to get things out of the garden!

I went out on Saturday and picked the remaining butternut squash and gourds. Everytime I thought I was done picking the gourds, it seemed that I would find another couple hiding out under a leaf or in the carrots!

Even Hank got involved!

I also went for a walk out into the pasture to get some pictures of the fall color before the wind blew all of the leaves off of the trees. We have had some wonderful color around here this fall!

Dan worked up on the roof finishing up a small section of siding . . . you never know, someday the whole house might be sided and looking pretty again.

On Saturday I also got a little something in the mail! It's my October sock mailing from Sundara Yarn. This picture doesn't show off the color the best, but it is a beautiful deep purple that has some darker and lighter hues spread throughout. I think these might become some Christmas socks for my mom!

Finally, I have been working on some socks of my own again. I have two skeins of this yarn and I think that these could turn into some nice knee socks. I love having long socks to wear in the winter and fall in our old, drafty house.

Last time I posted it was Summer (I think . . . technically)

2008-10-17T12:04:00.002-05:00

Well, it has been a while since I have posted (I am actually at the computer every day, but you know how it goes--the longer you go between posting, the more stupid and guilty you start to feel about not writing anything and so you don't write anything and you see how interesting other people are and that really you don't feel all that interesting and on and on and on) Today I bit the bullet and finally decided to post.

I was sorting through some photos that I have taken and I saw a couple that were noteworthy.
First off-----The Barney.

Barney is now a full-fledged outdoor cat. He doesn't want to believe it, but he is. Last winter he decided to start peeing on our bed in the basement and spraying furniture in the house. Yuck . . . he wanted to be in charge and knew he wasn't, so he started to fight back.
I feel bad (Dan doesn't) sometimes when he is meowing outside, but he has plenty in the out of doors to keep him busy and we hug him and cuddle him and feed him his yummy, yummy food.
When he isn't up whining by us at the house he sleeps in the hay in the barn. I love it when he does that and then comes up to us to get petted and picked up. He smells of dry alfalfa. Mmmmm.

Now for old tires . . .

Remember last Spring when I wrote about going to the scrap metal yard? Well, we took some of the money we got from the metal and were able to get rid of the many, many old tires we had sitting behind our old shop. (This picture doesn't even show all of them)
Soon the old scrap area will be beautiful (or weed filled, whatever) and eventually we will be able to reseed out there and have the area between our barn and shop and stuff like that made back into a little barn yard (maybe even for the dogs to be able to run around in when we are gone for the day!).

Alrighty, I have work to get to, so see you all later. Oh, and knitting has been happening, too. I am working on a fine Christmas present (oh, it is so pretty that I really want to keep it---but I won't---if you are reading this Melissa, I won't tell you what it is, but you probably know that I would be doing something along some lines as I did for Linda and Barb.)

This is why "they" hate "us"

2008-09-22T11:48:00.003-05:00

Please, I don't often just put random links here or anything, but please go watch this. It is terrible and awful to watch, but please watch it. You might regret it, but hey, you trust me, right?

Disappointment

2008-09-20T10:48:00.003-05:00

Can I tell you something? I am sooooo disappointed.

I was going through all of my picture folders and all of our flash disks and I am missing some stunning pictures that I took about a month ago. I recently started sorting all of my pictures into categories and getting things all updated for the last month and all that and a whole disk of pictures is gone . . . GONE!

Never to be seen again. Erased at some moment thinking that they were safely already put onto a computer or a CD or something. I am very sad. The only picture I have from that disk is this one

Do you see the gorgeous light I was working with? I had pictures of the horses in the tall grass on the back of our property. I had pictures of kittens playing just outside the barn door. I had close ups of these fuzzy thistles with the setting sun warming them and making the beautiful. Those pictures made me happy that we have thistles in our pasture growing out of control in places. It was the only time I was ever happy to see thistles that I can remember.

Will I ever come across the same lighting and time of year again. Maybe, you never know, but once, I happened to take this silouette of myself against our house that turned out so nicely and I have tried and tried and tried to recreate that moment on other farm buildings around our place and I never been able to do it.

Why, why, why . . . oh, the humanity---I took this one picture off of that little disk because I didn't have time to do more.

Can I say it again?

I am soooooooooooooooooo disappointed.

Fun photos of the weekend!

2008-09-02T16:43:00.004-05:00

Lot's of chicken

Dunk Tank!

At the parade

Niece and nephews at the picnic table--sippy cups and mac and cheese--what a picnic!

Little Halle on the deck!

Red Rooster Days!

2008-08-30T10:45:00.004-05:00

I made this little ad for our chamber of commerce back earlier this summer--whatcha think?
(The rooster isn't mine--it was designed for our city by a guy named Andy Grams and it will be going on the town's new water tower--he did a good job, huh?)

It is Labor Day weekend once again, but around here we know it as Red Rooster Days (and it is the reason I have been so quiet lately). We've been a-printin' banners, a-hangin' art up town in the Ergot Museum, a-updatin' info. on the local cable channel and city website (that's one of my part-time jobs), and a-workin' on puttin' together all sorts of people's frames.

Oh, and I've been a-gettin' ready for comp-ny, too because my brother from ID and his family are coming for a visit this week!

In the meantime,

. . . Lil' Hankers has been growing up.

Isn't he just the sweetest . . .

I think he likes me--okay, I know he likes me and Dan. He braves coming up onto the deck past the big, scary dogs that sometimes like to see if he is a good and tasty morsel just to meow at the door to come inside.

Speaking of big, scary dogs . . .

. . . they can be so vicious sometimes. See how they have crowded up around this guy? I bet they won't let him go until he gives them a belly rub.

Ahhhhh----

2008-08-21T13:59:00.003-05:00

Some days just get so busy that it is nice just to sit back and look at pretty pictures.
(stole the good camera again!)
Well, back to the job, grrr (or not grrr, considering the months of Jan-June were really slow!)

A logo

2008-08-20T13:08:00.005-05:00

Hey, I am back from my trip and have yet to scan in any photos of our trip (my dad seemed to want his digital camera on his camping trip rather than sending it along on mine--crazy, huh?)

Anyway, this is just a quick post to show a logo I did in photoshop and a brief description of how I did it. (maybe of no interest to anyone, but you never know).

I made this logo by combining a couple of photographs. (The cabin in one and trees in another-erasing stuff and layers and all that)

If I remember right after I had done all that:
1. I then went in and upped the contrast
2. Went into the unsharp mask (under filter and then sharpening) and way over did it until it looked neat to me
3. Then did the poster edge filter (under artistic) moving the sliders around until it looked interesting.
4. Lastly, I did the palette knife filter (also under artistic) moving stuff around until I liked it.

I've done a bunch of fun things with these filters layered upon filters actually-

I thought this looked cool, but half the time I don't recall what exactly I did to stuff--I suppose I should write down what my favorite things are to do, but golly I have a bunch of knitting, drawing, musical stuff to do (plus the garden and my 3 part-time jobs---and the dishes (I think I'll do them last--do they make paper pots and pans that I can just through away once i am done cooking?)), so I probably won't get around to it.

Going on Vacay!!!!!

2008-08-01T14:21:00.006-05:00

Well, tomorrow morning Dan and I are going to be headed out on a nice little vacation. (Well, not overly little--10 days!!!!!!)

Sometime mid-morning-ish (because when it comes to a vacation who really wants to be up at 4 am and on the road by 5? maybe you do, but not me!) we will drive away into the wild blue yonder. I know, I know gas prices are terrible, but if we want to go out to Glacier National Park and then on to my brother's place in Idaho it is still cheaper to drive than to take the airplane or the train. (crazy, I know it)

Anyway, before I go I thought I would post a couple of pictures of a couple fun items.

First and foremost, I have made and finished my socks from the Lorna's Laces Grumperina colorway that I won this past Spring!

I put a nice little picot edge on the top because I thought it would be pretty.

Here they are in all their glory!!!!

Next, I have now gotten the yarn to make a nice Clapotis. It is Malabrigo in the Loro Barranquero colorway (purchased from the Yarn Country)

Ain't it purty . . .

and a close-up of the gorgeous yarny goodness!

I will be working on this shawl on my trip (along with a cotton market bag, and a bunch of little Viking Hats for the nieces and nephews)

Last, but not least are some photos I took of the dogs a week or so ago playing in the yard. The battery was dying on the camera, so it wasn't wanting to auto focus very well and with the speed that these pups were going I couldn't keep up, but let me tell you even though a couple of these shot are blurry, they are well worth it for the sheer enjoyment that these pups show when they get to wrestle around!

Here they are being pretty sedate . . .

then . . .
they're off!

I think this might be some fancy wresting move that they use on the WWE (is that what it is called? It used to be the WWF back when I was little and I don't keep track of such things)

Now this last one is quite fuzzy, but it is quite a fun one anyway.

Look at the wild looks on those faces.

I think that not long after this dogs went to their separate corners--Dakota goes under the deck and Montana runs to the garage.

Have a good week all-see you again after the 12th (I'm not sure if you will be able to expect photos, though because I don't own my own digital camera and I don't know when we will get the film developed-we just developed a bunch of our film from last fall through the present a few weeks ago)

What can I say about today?

2008-07-29T11:22:00.008-05:00

I can't really think of a good title at all for today's post. I don't even know what to say about today, but Nin got me think about some of the famous/semi-famous people I've met (not that I am some great friend of anyone, or have even met people that most everyone else knows-just famous people to me and my kind of ilk I guess) and who I would love to meet.

Now, let's say this first and foremost--I am a lover of blue-grass, old fashioned country, Christian, classical, and any number of other kinds of music that most people don't listen to a whole lot. I don't know most of the music other people my age listen to because Classical Public radio was played in my house from when I was tiny to even today (I don't tend to have the radio on much at my house now, but we almost always have Minnesota Public Radio playing in the gallery).

Soooo . . . I have met various people from different old jug bands from the Twin Cities and that also includes meeting Koerner, Ray, and Glover because my dad used to be in a jug band back in the 60's called Mama's Home Cooking (he played the washtub bass). They have the Battle of the Jug Bands every year down in Minneapolis and my dad always goes to see a bunch of his old friends. Of course, back when I first went to the Battle it was in a VFW (I guess it was an American Legion-according to the history on their site) Hall in Minneapolis and now it has moved to a much fancier location (I haven't been to it since I was in high school though).

Me and Sherwin Linton

I have met Sherwin Linton. He plays all over the state of MN and SD and other places. He and his wife and their band are out playing all over most of the year. He emcees our county fair's talent show every year and I have been known to go up on stage and try to make a bit of a fool of myself strumming my guitar and singing. He seemed to think that I have an alright kind of a voice (my guitar skills need a lot of work, though, I think). Anyway, he knows all sorts of people in the music business as well, including being friends with the Cash family.

Dan and I have been to a couple of Michael Martin Murphy's (caution-music starts playing when you go to this page) concerts. He always is really nice and talks to everyone after the show. (His most famous hit was Wildfire, but he has done a bunch more that people would recognize.) We have a CD of his in which Paulette Carlson sings back up on a couple of songs. Paulette grew up around here and even though I have never met her I worked for her brother and his wife at an apple orchard just a ways from here.

I have been able to shake hands with Osmo Vanska, Lori Line, and the Riders in the Sky. (I have been trying to make the links to these last two here and I am not being allowed to do it. grrr, so you'll just have to look them up if you're interested in them)

Oh, and here's a silly story. Last month, we went down to a graduation party for my cousin's son and I asked my dad to drive around and show me how to get to my grandparent's old place because I couldn't remember how to get there (since I couldn't drive back when they used to live there and couldn't remember the way). We ended up driving into the neighborhood and stopped at an old neighbor of my dad's house. He restores old, old cars (the kind that look more like a buggy than a car) and he had a bunch sitting outside, so we chatted with him for a while. Come to find out that Jay Leno had been at his house the weekend before us. He had been doing an act at one of the casinos North of the Cities and had heard about this guy, so he called him up on his way to the airport and asked to pop in to look at his cars. If only the graduation party had been a week earlier, we would have been there at the same time.

So anyway, those have been my brushes with fame and glory (sound the church bells). Not much in the whole scheme of things, I suppose, but still fun for me!

Someday, though, I would really like to meet and actually chat with Randy Travis. He has led such an interesting life. I would love to meet any number of people, though, I suppose, but I am a true Minnesota girl and try not to bother people if at all possible and figure they would rather not have some little weirdo like me bothering them.

Well, have a great day!