I'm Trying to Catch Up!

Sometimes I feel like this guy- stuffing my cheeks, trying to get everything done. It's all ready coming up on two weeks ago since Matt and Linda from Pennsylvania stopped in at Hasty Brook for a visit during their vacation. I have to say first, that I was so flattered that they wanted to see our place. Art and I waited Sunday morning, talking about the visitors to come, wondering if they'd see what we see in Hasty Brook. We don't have much in the way of amenities, a cramped camper. We wouldn't be able to invite them in, but really, to see Hasty is to be outside. When they pulled up the driveway there were greetings all around (except for the teens who slept through all of it!). Eventually we all sat in the camp chairs in the shade of the awning. It was a beautiful morning, mild temperature, low humidity and quite breezy. The mosquitoes weren't even that bad! We chatted for a few hours outside, watching the birds and butterflies. Sadly I never took a picture of Matt and Linda at Hasty. In fact the chipmunk was the ONLY picture I took that weekend. We did see both a female Red-breasted Grosbeak and a female Purple Finch. Even though I know better, I still confuse them. The Goldfinches were definitely the birds of the day. There were gobs of them hanging off the feeders.

Too soon it was time for the long "Minnesota good-bye". Up here we're known for for our looong talking, waving, "good-bye! good-bye!", waving some more, more "good-bye" until they've turned the corner out of sight! Art and I both feel we've made two good friends in Matt and Linda. They've invited us to visit if we ever get to their area and we both feel comfortable in saying that we would.

Thanks for the spitters Linda and Matt! They were gone within the day!
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On to critters around home.

Last November my sister Phyllis was having a really hard time dealing with our Mom's passing. She was terribly lonely. Phyllis and Mom would talk on the phone many, many times a day and there was a horrible gap in Phyllis' life with Mom gone that none of us were able to fill. One of her doctors suggested Phyllis get a pet. With limited vision and being mostly house-bound she decided on a kitty. Her kitty "Half Pint" became the center of her life- someone needed her.

The first week in January Phyllis was hospitalized with what we soon would find out was her brain tumor. I went to see her the morning after her admission and found her sobbing not for herself but worried about her kitty. Later that day I spoke with the surgeon who spelled out Phyllis' future to us. Knowing then in my heart that she would never go home to her kitty, I called Art and explained. That night I went to her apartment and packed up the kitty and all her food and toys and brought her home. Looking back, I think that was the best gift I could give Phyllis. Knowing that we were "babysitting" her kitty gave her much peace of mind throughout her illness.

Eventually we changed her name to "Puddy".

I wasn't sure how having this cat was going to go. I had so much to deal with and introducing a cat to a home with a dog and a house rabbit? The first night we kept the cat in Molly's room with the door shut. The next morning our dog Gidget was going nuts trying to get at the cat through the crack under the door. When I tried to carefully open the bedroom door the cat shot out. Within an hour they had sniffed each other over. No snarls, hisses or claws! Gidget was bored with the cat and went to lay down. Ok- the dog's fine, Now the rabbit. Prey animal right?

Well, here's what they think of each other:

Buddy's eyes are closed as he enjoys a good face and ear washing from Puddy!
They spend most of the day lounging on the couch together.

I've introduced many cats to many dogs over the years and have never had it go that smoothly. I honestly believe that we had help from heaven in creating this motley crew of best friend animals.

Having Puddy around every day has helped me a lot in missing Phyllis. When I look at that beautiful black kitty I have to smile and think of Mom too.

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Molly and I found this nest of about a million baby bunnehs this spring in the flower bed in the back yard. Aren't they CUTE? We watched the grow every day, making the nest wiggle and bulge. Finally the left the nest...

and ate EVERYTHING in my yard!!!

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Our rabbit Buddy is a mini-lop.

A not-so-mini mini-lop.

Molly wanted to see what he's look like with regular "up" rabbit ears.

Buddy was NOT amused.

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Isn't she a pretty Mama?

She built her nest in an old glass orange juicer that I used for feeding meal worms to the chickadees.

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Many of you know that I work in a hospital laboratory.

You've heard of digi-scoping?

You've heard of digi-bining?

Let's try digi-microscoping!!!

Fifty points to the person who can tell me what kind of white blood cell that is!

Can you see the teddy bear holding a pie?

Meeting a Sweet Blogger Friend

Last Thursday I got to meet a blogger from Erie Pennsylvania. Through reading each other's blogs over the last year or so, Linda from Erie's Argonaut found we had a few things in common. he grew up for the first years of her life in Minnesota and both of our fathers were involved in the Civilian Conservation Corps in Minnesota in the early 1930s. Several weeks ago she emailed and told me that she and her husband Matt were coming to Minneapolis for a work convention. They would be staying in Minneapolis for a few days, then would drive up to Duluth and then onward to northern Michigan as they vacationed on their way home. I was thrilled and quite flattered when she said that they would like to see Hasty Brook while they were in northern Minnesota! We worked out the details and happily Linda had some free time while here in town to do some quick local birding. I've always enjoyed Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden so I picked Linda up and that's where we headed.

My sense of direction notoriously poor, we wound up in a not-so-very-nice part of Minneapolis. Eventually we made it to the Garden. Armed with 30% DEET bug spray and loaded with cameras and binoculars we headed in.

The day was warm and a bit humid. The garden trails led us down along a very wooded and shady path where there was not a breeze to be had.

One of the first birds we heard was this Common Yellowthroat. We stopped for a quick picture and were immediately swallowed in a cloud of mosquitoes. Didn't they read the memo about the effectiveness of 30% DEET? I'm not kidding- the mosquitoes were in my mouth and up my nose. Poor Linda! Well, we moved along the path and caught a quick look at an Indigo Bunting. No pictures of the Bunting, just mad slapping instead.

We did make one more quick photo stop in the bog area for a patch of gorgeous Pink Lady's Slippers. Linda remembered that this is the Minnesota State Flower. I suggested we hustle along the path and head for higher ground. Maybe the air wouldn't be quite so still and the mosquitoes so thick. Linda did not object!

Birds were few but the wildflowers were thick. Any ideas on this one?

Some kind of pea? The foliage was very pretty and about waist high.

Don't know what these are either but the white ones were VERY fragrant.

A variety of (Princess) buttercup?

I liked this short round fern but couldn't identify it in my fern field guide.

A yellow flag iris- finally something I know!

I'm pretty sure this is a Silvery Checkerspot. I didn't pay attention to the undersides of the wings. That would have helped. I took this photo at an odd angle and if I look at it too long it makes me feel tippy.

I'm always so impressed at people's knowledge of dragonflies. I don't have it. I am pretty sure this is a type of damselfly. When I was little we called these sewing needles. One of my brothers told me they would sew your lips shut if you talked too much. That didn't stop me!

Linda and I didn't spend too much more time on the upper trail before we decided to call it quits. So we jumped in the car, said good-bye to the mosquitoes and headed to Starbucks for coffee and a sweet. For me this was the best part of the day. Linda and I spent over two hours talking about our families, our lives and what we believed in. I was comfortable talking to Linda- it was like talking to an old friend. This blogging thing is really quite special. We all make choices of what and how much to reveal about ourselves through our writing. I think it is possible to get a pretty good sense of the person behind the blog. Linda is a gentle woman, kind and generous. I am so happy to call her my friend.

Stop in and visit Linda at Erie's Argonaut next week and read about her vacation.

But wait- there's more...

Playing Catch-Up

Sorry about the sad lack of posts lately, it seems I'm barely able to keep my nose above water with.... well I don't know what exactly, but I've been busy! I'm happy to say we'll be packing up the truck and heading north to Hasty Brook this weekend. I've been up there only twice this year and we haven't spent a night there at all. We'll be restocking the camper with fresh bedding, filling the propane tanks and thoroughly cleaning the water tanks. We'll also be bringing along two sets of loppers and a hand saw to scout out the newly annexed "South Hasty." I'm hoping the ticks are past their peak. Two weeks ago when I was there they were THICK. It seemed the deer ticks out-numbered the wood ticks by about two to one. Ugh.

I don't think I mentioned before that the beavers are back in the creek. I thought I'd seen new evidence of them last fall but two weeks ago I actually saw the pair. Maybe I'll regret their presence as I know they can do a lot of damage, but for now it's their creek and they're fun to watch.

His head is under water.

It's softball season. Molly has played for a community girl's slow pitch league for four summers now. The games are all on weeknights (except for the tournaments) and are all very close to home. I love watching the girls play. It's all about sportsmanship, skills and teamwork. I'll be parked in my chair in the shade tonight, sipping iced tea and snacking on spitters. Ahhh....

I took Molly to the DMV yesterday to take her driver's permit test. There were signs posted THANKING people for "complying with the policy of refraining from profanity and/or violence within the building!!"

We need a policy for that?

We need to thank people for compliance?

The line for the permit test was the same line for reinstatement of driving privileges following a DWI. Every single adult that was getting privileges reinstated argued about the fees. The fees are substantial- but give me a break- if you broke the law, put lives in danger- you're lucky that $$ is the only consequence.

One more rant. After Molly passed her exam (Hurray!) we were sent to yet another line to wait for her actual permit. Behind us in line was a man who must have BATHED in cologne, talking very LOUDLY on his blue tooth phone. For 35 minutes he crammed himself up behind us, yacking without a breath. Now maybe it's a Minnesota thing, but obviously he'd never heard about personal space. Or moderation with his cologne. Or how rude it is to blab at the top of your lungs indoors in a crowded line.

Where are manners? Why do we need a policy prohibiting profanity and violence?

That's all.

Happy Birthday Art!

It's a big day at our house today. It's Art's 50th birthday and it's also our 18th wedding anniversary. When the priest that married us gave us the dates available he laughed and suggested we take Art's birthday because then Art would never forget our anniversary! We were both 32 years old when we married- older by some standards. We met on a blind date and married in under a year! One of my brothers worked with Art's brother and they set us up. We met in July, were engaged at Christmas and married in June. I guess at 32 we just knew what we wanted. I could not be luckier.

Happy Birthday and Anniversary to my best friend.

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I've been a bit missing in blogging these last few weeks. Working a lot of night shifts really wipes me out. Good news on that front though, I should be moving to days pretty soon. I was offered a part time position in the Hematology and Blood Bank departments and will move to days as soon as my replacement is trained. Yahooo!!

Also- big news about Hasty Brook. For a while now Art and I have been thinking about buying more property connecting to Hasty Brook. We own 10 acres now with the Hasty Brook running through it. Because Hasty Brook is a designated trout stream, there is a DNR imposed 150 foot setback for disrupting the land all along the creek. The creek curves across the land about half way between the road and the back of the land (no road access at the back half). The ten acres we have now does not have enough room for a building site on the road half. Over the winter we found out the name of the owner of the 10 acres to our south and wrote them asking if they were interested in selling. Within a week we got a letter back with an asking price $5000 less than we were planning to offer! Molly and I drove to Duluth last week with our check and signed off with a lawyer that we hired to handle the transaction. We're waiting for a call from him early this week letting us know that he has the title and the 10 acres to our south will be ours! I'm thrilled! As soon as the deal is final, I'll be contacting folks at the county up there (St. Louis County) to look in to choosing a building site. I've all ready found the cabin plans that we like so we're hoping that next summer we might be starting a cabin at Hasty Brook.

It's been a dream of mine for so long.

Someone pinch me.

Up, Up and Away

Compass Set for North

We packed the van and hit the road Friday evening. It was about a three hour drive to my brother Phil's lake home north of Brainerd. He and his wife Mary are retired and live in a beautiful home that they bought as a cabin years ago. It's gone through a few metamorphosis since then and it's now a lovely home that they opened to us. Another retired brother Charlie and his wife Michele were there for the weekend as well. It had been such a long time since we'd had a happy get-together, too many sad occasions this last year. This weekend was so good for me. It was good for us all, I think. We played card and dice games, watched movies, looked through old photographs and retold family stories. Lots of laughter and for me, a just a few tears. We talked lots about Dad and Mom and Phyllis. They would have loved the weekend. I could feel them smile.

I did get to do some birding too. We took two pontoon boat rides and I got a few nice pictures of the loons on the lake. I actually took 64 loon pictures to get maybe four that were keepers. I like the water droplets on this loon's head. If you look carefully you can see his red eye. Listening to the loons at night is a Minnesota experience that we like to think you will not find any where else.

I spied three loon nests on the lake. Trust me that we stayed a respectful distance away.

Water temps were in the high fifties but that didn't stop Molly and John from dipping in for some fun.

We had a fabulous view of a huge thunderstorm coming across the lake. You can see the line of wind rippling the calm water as it moved toward us. No damage at their place but the same weather system brought good sized hail to New Hope. Sadly, my new-to-me, used car got some dings. Ah well, life is short. I'm not going to be bothered by hail dents.

Today's Best Dressed Bird in New Hope

Not loved by many, but can you really deny his beauty?

In fifth place- Grackle!

Mr. Oriole is looking a bit resentful, but it's a tie for fourth -

Oriole and the chickadee finial.

Third place- Ms. Oriole!

smack, slurp- "I'd like to thank the voters..."

Stopping in for a quick bite to eat, our bird in second place is Mrs. Red-winged Blackbird.

Ant the winner of The Best Dressed Bird in New Hope is....

MR. HARRIS!!

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I've has a Harris' Sparrow visit my yard for the last several years, staying only a few days. I was getting a bit worried that he wouldn't show up this year but I spied him two days ago. He comes scratching under the back feeders several times a day. I've got to say- I really think he's the best looking sparrow.

We Remember

A section of the monument near the grave of John F. Kennedy

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Korean War Veteran's Memorial

"Freedom is not Free", part of the Korean War Veteran's Memorial

Vietnam Women's Memorial

Vietnam Veteran's Memorial

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Photos from our family trip to Arlington National Cemetery and Washington, D.C.

November 15, 2003.

Dove Love is in the Air

I've been watching this lovey dovey pair cooing around the yard for the last week. They're inseparable. I wonder where their nest is.

Yesterday morning I was upstairs folding clothes and other mom chores and kept hearing a pretty robin's song out back. Something about the song was both familiar and different. A Rose-breasted Grosbeak? I scanned carefully but couldn't see a thing in the thick leaves. I gave up and went in to the bathroom to put towels away and there he was- singing happily right outside the bathroom window.

This picture was taken through the window screen and so is a bit fuzzy but I like the dream-like quality. I wonder what he's thinking.

Here he is awake! He stayed at the feeders all day and even took a few baths. I didn't see him at all today. Moved on I guess.

He seemed to enjoy the company. Do you think I have enough feeders on this pole?

Mrs. Oriole came for jelly by really like the meal worms I tossed in the ant moat.

I spied an American Redstart checking out the bird bath dripper. He watched here on this solar light while he thought it over. That was the longest time I've seen a Redstart not in motion. Check out his black legs and feet.

I've never seen House Wrens eat suet before today. This cheeky little tyrant chased away birds three times his own size.

My yard has more than its share of gray squirrels. They're such pigs but if they don't ruin my feeders, they can stay. They all disappear when this little red squirrel shows up. I've watched him eat fallen seed until he's full then hide around the corner of the shed. The gray squirrels think the coast is clear and come running back only to have the red devil spring out and attack.

Looks like he's found another hiding place!

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I'm watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and am finding myself creeped out by Johnny Depp. I really love Gene Wilder in Willie Wonka and this version is just

NOT RIGHT.