After posts of my progress on clearing the main floor – some IS getting pitched; some is getting sorted, labeled and moved out to a shed – I am seeing that proverbial light at the end of the tunnel! I am down to two boxes of garments and two boxes of knits on the main floor ( there may be more lurking upstairs ). Currently I am trimming off seams and disassembling by …
Today I walked down the drive to open the gate for someone. First, among the rye I saw hollyhocks! And then on the west side of the drive, I saw a greyish lump and thought something had killed a turkey. No. As I approached she lifted her head and moved off some babies. Hope she is a good mom!
No, the rice isn‘t local. but the beef came from a neighbor, and the vegetables came from the St Croix Falls Farmers market – broccoli, carrots, radishes, snap peas, and the last of our onions. Please support your local farmers. Bon apetit.
Flowers cheer one. And this week I cold use some cheer. So this morning I wen out to sample what was blooming. I did two arrangements. This first is a purple cone flower, astillbe, bee balm, butterfly weed, daisies and black eyed Susan. The second is the same type flowers minus the cone flower. The bee balm or monarda were one of Ken’s favorites. …
Yesterday was Ken’s Memorial Service. After hearing Ken say frequently after a funeral, “That minister (priest) didn’t even know …. (fill in name of deceased).” Like writing his obituary, I decided to take on the planning for the service. I have a tendency to be that little red hen in the children’s story. First I realized an open air setting would be best, but I wanted a shelter in case of rain. Then I …
Last weekend kind friends helped me continue a decades old tradition of selling Ken’s pottery and produce for our “Spring Opener” the first weekend in May. Since Ken’s death, many people have asked me what my plans are. Until now I have simply answered truthfully, “I don’t know.” But after last weekend some things have become clear. And I can state unequivocally that I have no desire to do pottery and produce retail sales on …
Many years ago, back in the day when men avoided doing any form of house work because it called their manhood into question, my father did help my mom. But he helped on the sly to avoid being teased by other less secure men. One year he was at the back door hanging up a dish towel on the line when a thin reedy voice piped from across the street. “Happy Mothers Day, Mr. Gravel!” …
It was a long winter. April was an amazing month. The start had nights in the single digits – unseasonably cold. The middle had major snow storms of heavy wet snow – sometimes in excess of a foot. And the end had a day that reached eighty degrees in the nearby Twin Cities of St Paul and Minneapolis. When the first snow crocus popped open I was glad to see them Then the …
Ken always enjoyed the amaryllis. My parents had sent him a bulb here and there; most went to a friend when we went to Japan. Last fall they sent one to me, and now its blossoms remind me of both them AND Ken. It is short, has two stems and is BEAUTIFUL.
Wow. This has been quite a month and it’s only half over! We had lows in the single digits earlier in the month, and Last weekend many of us got a foot of new snow after an earlier eight inches. So, today I was shoveling. Today sun was in the forecast, so I went down and opened vents and shoveled out the area by the door. The sides have so much snow! …
