Fall Begins

The colors are beginning to turn but had not reached their peak when we were there. However, they were brilliant enough to capture with my camera.

Color through our entry sign

And walking through our woods

We had lots of rain and fluctuating weather temps which makes for great foggy mornings. I love taking pictures with the fog it seems to add something.

A foggy morning in the north land

I love this time of year but really would rather not have what comes after it. Take time to enjoy the beauty around you especially this time of year!

Working With My Husband In The Northland

David and I got lots of work done during our recent almost three week stint in the northland. When the two of us do a project it is always interesting and very often quite a cluster ----! But always is fun believe it or not.

When we bought our little slice of heaven it was supposed to be ‘debris free’ upon taking possession. It was not, our woods was full of old tires, car parts, household furniture and garbage in general. David and I hauled the junk out of the woods- he on the bobcat (no big surprise there huh Kel?) and I in the dump truck. He loaded the truck up and it was my job to take it out of the woods dumping it by the dumpster to be put in the empty ones as they came.

David managed to break the bobcat twice and during one of the last dumps that I made I managed to break the dump box. Well I didnt personally break it…apparently the poor old truck can handle only so much. As I was raising the box to dump the load I saw the box list to the left and almost fall to the ground. Its broke to be sure but David thinks he can repair it.

So as I said, it is always interesting and quite often a cluster but always fun. I realized that one of the reasons I like it there so much is that David and I spend all of our time together. It really is quite nice.

The piles and dumpster full of junk!

One broken truck...poor old truck.

We'll probably be getting junk out of the woods forever but the biggest share is now cleaned up.

A Very Happy Birthday To A Very Special Person

Today is my daughter in law- Kelly's-birthday. We are happy to have her in our little family. Happy birthday to you Kel and many many more.



Love you

Dave and Me

Every Minnesotan

Really needs to walk across the Mississippi Headwaters at Itasca State Park. Itasca is a wonderful place and you could spend days just hiking the trails.

My friend Mary took her first trek to Itasca and did cross the headwaters....

Hesitant as she was

Oops be careful Mary....

It was too risky for my friend Mary and she took the easy path across...which is probably a good thing huh Bugsy?

On our way to Itasca this Eagle allowed me the pleasure of photographing him. He was (as all are) beautiful and sat for the longest time for me. I whistled to get him in flight.

And Tackla in her pond posing quite nicely amongst my wildflowers

Hello From The Northland

I am in town checking email and getting my hair cut. Up here, when you go to town you feel like a pioneer that makes the long trip to town for supplies!

Anyway, we have had a boat load of guests at Woelpern's resort this past month. First the 'concrete' workers, followed by our friends Jess and Melissa and last week my mother in law joined us for a few days. Her and I spent so much time gabbing that I didn't even have time to take any pictures and she didn't read a word of her book that she brought. We made it to the local thrift stores, ate lots of stuff and in general had a wonderful time. One night while sitting in the living room I looked over at her and she looked like my mom sitting there...just the way she was sitting. That I must say gave me great comfort. By the way Mikey, I did find out that when David was much younger he was very particular about how he dressed and as him mom put it, he was a neat nick! Can you believe it?

After David's mom left my friend Mary came to join me for three days. More about her trip next time that I come to town for supplies. I even have some pictures of her first trip to the Mississippi Headwaters-Bugs, she didn't fall in can you believe it!

By the way, we had snow flurries here in the northland this morning.

More next time I make the trek to town.

A Very Interesting Hike In Deed

Over the Labor Day weekend we again had visitors in the northland. Jess and Melissa spent the weekend and on one of the days we took the dogs for a hike on a trail that I had not been on before. It is a US Forestry trail that we later found out goes from South Dakota to New York and we started in the very middle of the trail.

It is a beautiful trail as you pass by fields

And whined through the trees

Glimpsing the first signs of fall

The day was hot as you can see by the tongues hanging out

This mud bog was a welcome sight

As it got to be an hour and a half with no end in sight we wondered what we should do. Doesn't this thing lead you right back to start we ask each other. Jess says (and we agree) that we should just keep going to see where it comes out (sound familiar Mikey and Jan???). We are all hot, bug bitten and getting tired. We worry about the dogs, especially Tackla who is old and is obviously becoming dehydrated.


Finally we come to a gravel road but we have not clue one where in the heck we are at. Oh wait, here comes a car with two older fellas and a lady in it. We ask them where we are-we are lost and have been hiking for almost 2 hours- they tell us we are about three miles from town....just go that way and you will hit the highway. They say that they are going to a craft show and off they go. Oh wait they are changing their mind, backing up, are they going to offer us a ride to our vehicle....NO but they do give us a half bottle of water which we give to the dogs.


We walk for a bit longer and I decide to call the sheriff to come get us (we were concerned about the dogs dehydrating)....rather than calling 911 I called information hoping to get the local police's number. The operator asks me if I want the non emergency number or the local library....I said the local library...I have no clue why I asked for that number. Heat exhaustion I think. Jess and Melissa figure that I was going to get a book telling me how to get back home!


Jess and Melissa convinced me to just call 911 which I did getting the county sheriff who finally figured out where we were (with no help from me as I kept babbling that we were lost, my three or four friends and our dogs...I guess I sounded pretty stupid!) and he sent someone to come for us.


Just as I hung up from him another car comes. The fella who stopped before came back (after he dumped his companions at the craft show) and asked if he could take all of us and our dogs back to our vehicle. Yup you sure can we say. I even thought to cancel our rescue ride from the county sheriff!


We all made it back in one shape. David shakes his head at us as we tell the story and of course I take a lot of ribbing for my foolishness.


Later that day we went back to look at the trail map which is when we found that it is the longest trail in the US or some damned thing or another and no it does not circle back to where you started.

The Cement Crew

Or as our 'foreman' Nate told us, "It is not cement, cement comes in a bag and you mix water with it...THIS is concrete!"

Last weekend Lenny, Kelly and a few of their friends joined us for the weekend up north to pour the garage floor. It was a blast. Good food (Kelly is a great cook!) wonderful weather, camp fires that would have made you jealous Jan! And a lot of BS flying around. Oh and some work did get done.

Chris and Lenny having a little fun with the equipment.

This is the true use of the gas powered thing a jig!

The supervising crew??? Take a look at the back of Lenny's shirt.

SOME of the crew actually did manual labor...wonder where David is? Running a motorized machine as is usual perhaps?

The completed project.

Relaxing by the camp fire.

A 'Man's' Best Friend

Those that don't have dogs/animals as part of their family find it hard to understand how we who do get so attached to them.

The term a man's best friend is so true (although it should be a person's best friend!). They love you unconditionally. They listen to you no matter what you have to say, they may even wag their tail at you even if you are not making much sense. When you feel blue somehow they sense it and make you feel better with just the look in their eye. And when they pass it is like losing a part of your family, because they are.

Our neighbors and good friends lost their best friend Sunday. He battled a long illness and will be missed by the entire neighborhood.

In memory of Buster-we will miss you.

The Newest Finished Projects And....

A wonderful picture of Grandpa and Dezbah Daisy

And my latest completed projects:

I'm patting myself on the back over these. Socks are not the easiest things to knit, especially when the person that is trying to teach you doesn't believe in patterns....WHATEVER I say, I need a pattern. So after many times of ripping them out, and after many months, I didn't give up and actually got them done. Cant wait to start my second pair! I am not a sock wearer but these may just convert me.

This is the funnest bag and coin purse. Given to Jess for her birthday which was yesterday.

And the baby booties for Dezbah

David's New/First Grandbaby

We picked Dezbah Daisy (and her mom) up at the airport August 1st. This is the first time that David and I have met little Dezbah and she is cute as can be as well as a very good baby. Rachel is a fabulous mom and I bet Melvin is the best of dads. Melvin is working so was not able to join his family this trip but Rachel and Dezbah will be here the entire month of August.

Look at that expression, cute as can be.

In her 'cradle board'. This cradle board is over 40 years old and I suspect has been in Melvin's family, used by all over the years.

Mom and daughter

A very happy and proud great grandma!

Precious!

The four generations.

The First Harvest

I have really never been a gardener, that was always mom that had the green thumb. I could do a tomato plant or two and of course last year had the wild pumpkins.....but this year I ventured out and actually put in pumpkin seeds, cucumber seeds, the usual tomato plants and pepper plants. I have picked a few tomatos but just found this morning that I have cucumbers! So I had to take pictures of course!

Here they are the first of many cucumbers

We are going to have tons of pumpkins as well and hopefully more tomatos and some peppers.

I know I know...pretty sad that the first picked cucumbers are such a thrill huh? Yeah well the simple things in life I guess!

When The Fish Arent Biting!

And your sitting on the water with not much to do (too choppy to knit!) these are the ever so dumb pictures that get taken!

But wait.....just as I am taking these boring pictures my line begins to bounce and yes I have a fish on my hook. Hurry up, put down the camera in a safe place (after all David is driving the boat....you know what I mean Mikey!) and bring that fish in! It was a nice northern that we actually kept. OK ok so it bit on my hook and David pulled it in...minor details...it's still my catch! AND we even turned the water on in the live well this time. You see, the last time we were out I caught a very nice perch that got put in the live well but someone (and it wasn't me) didn't put water in it...needless to say fish have to have water to survive! And that's a REAL fish story.

The camper is gone from our lot. Sold it on Ebay for a very good price. Was a bit sad to see it go as it served us well, but it looks much nicer without it there.

We again had our momma doe and her two fawns and what seems to be maybe last year's button buck scampering in our pond. They run, play and hop like a cat or a dog. Very fun to watch.

Stay cool and out of the humidity!

It Is Way Too Hot!

Will this heat ever quit? And we are headed for the northland this weekend where it is even hotter than here.

Saw this butterfly attempting to get nectar out of the oriole feeder. I chased him around trying to get a 'perfect shot'. He (or she) really did pose quit nicely.

And here are our neighbors and friends Chrissy and Brent. Brent is a machinist-does great work-and has gotten this old car running. He purchased it at an auction (I think). The original owner has passed and the wife has cancer. The last time it was driven was in a parade that Brent is taking it to this weekend in honor of the original owner and for the wife. It will be quite touching I am sure. By the way, that's Peeko trailing along behind wondering why he doesn't get a ride!

Stay cool and do a rain dance as we need rain badly here.