An Insane Amount of Work

Good morning, all!

The amount of computer work I need to do today is flat-out comical.  Which, of course, is why I'm here - procrastinating!  ;)  Well, that and the fact that I actually feel like posting this morning, and I KNOW I won't want to spend my break times back at the computer later today.  So, you get my attention now!

First, a bit of phenology.  I took a walk up the driveway to the trapper cabin and then back through the woods two weeks ago today.  Even though these images are that old, springtime has not progressed hardly at all since then.

Blooming catkin on some scrub by the chicken house.

The woods are still brown for the most part.  Nearer the mild temperatures by the lake, some of the trees have started leafing out - but not so much that there is "green in them thar hills" yet.  Along the roads, there is some green grass trying to get a foot-hold but not even enough for a picture yet.

This was a very teeny (you can see the dried leaves on the right-hand side for size reference) mound of PRETTY moss/lichen starting its springtime push.  If I had the time today, I'd enjoy researching to find out just what kind it is!  (That's the kind of stuff I LIKE to do vs. the stuff I HAVE to spend my day doing.)

Here were the remnants of one of last year's goose eggs (I'm assuming) that a raven had liberated from the "laying barrel" in the poultry yard.

At work, it was a busy, busy week of orders coming in.  Even though our old-fashioned five-and-dime is not exactly what you would consider a "head shop", we are the only game in town for incense . . . and our county does boast a good number of ol' hippies.  So, enjoying such things myself, I had a fun time placing the order with this company for the first time (that I did it).  I was a little leery that I'd spent too much money and ordered too much fun stuff, so it was with serendipitous relief that the boxes arrived on a day that the bosses weren't in!  ;)  But, I was up to my eyeballs in incense for two solid days, unpacking and pricing and stocking, and I SWEAR I got high off it all!  I mean, how could that much strong sensory invasion NOT affect you???  At any rate, it's pretty much all finished, and, even though I chose the best ones to buy myself, I'm HAPPY to be done with it for now!  I was so stinky both Friday and Saturday nights when I drove to Mama & Papa Pea's to pick up the dogs that scent-sensitive Mom couldn't even hug me!

Then, my evenings have been chock-full of visits with friends (it was Bunny Boy's 1st birthday on Wednesday), computer work, property/house-searching and pretty much passing out due to exhaustion.

Regarding the property & house-searching, I have been combing the real estate ads in an effort to find myself and the critters an affordable new home whose owners will consider a Contract for Deed.  Due to my financial situation, I know I will end up with something that is not ideal for whatever reason (no water or no electricity or super small or ______), but better to be looking NOW vs. nearer the end of my stay here at Swamp River Ridge.

It's very interesting, thinking about where - in the county - I may end up.  I'll go wherever the housing option is the best, my only requirement that it be no farther from town than my current drive of one hour.  But, given the size of the HUGE county that we live in (just under 3,500 square miles!!!), I could end up living two hours and 65 miles south of where I am now!  (There's a neat house at that location that my realtor is checking on to see if the owners would consider a C for D.)  So, in some ways, possibilities like this make the move more exciting since it would basically be like moving to a new town!  But, time will tell.  At this point, I have NO idea where I'll end up . . . the stress of which is MUCH reduced by the knowledge that I can ALWAYS (thanks to incredible kindness and generosity) "fall back" on the little cabin just outside of town should I find nothing before I need to be out of here.

But, with that, I REALLY need to get going on the day's insane amount of computer work.  The platform that I've built the majority of my clients' websites on has been made redundant, and Microsoft is NOT transferring the websites over to their new platform.  And tomorrow night at midnight is the deadline for having all the webpages moved and when they will be deleted from their current homes on the Internet.  It's absolute B.S. and only results in a HUGE amount of busy work for web designers.  Sure, I'll be getting paid from my clients for the work (except for the three websites that I administer myself - my high school reunion site, the local arts festival's, and my business website), but it's (SHOULD be) completely unnecessary.  It's just absolutely ridiculous.  But, remember, computers are here "to make our lives EASIER"!  Grumble, grumble, grumble.

Checkin' In

Just a quick how d'ya do to check in.  We've been in perfect sugaring (maple) weather lately:  days in the 40s & 50s and nights in the 20s . . . but that warm, warm snap we had those few weeks ago cancelled out any sugaring this year.  Methinks local maple syrup prices are gonna sky-rocket due to supply & demand!

I was home sick on Wednesday (horrible headache compounded by general exhaustion, I think), and so worked yesterday, instead.  I've been busier and busier at work - doing more computer work for the boss, doing my own orders for the book aisle, etc., etc.  That's mostly good 'cause it keeps me runnin' . . . but sometimes TOO much and I don't feel like I'm giving my "regular" department (housewares) enough attention.  But, that's a good problem to have and, lately, the days have been zipping by.

No segue (other than the weather & work), but I wore open-toed sandals to work on Monday . . . and it snowed all day!!!  Ahhh, springtime in the Northwoods.  None of it stayed on the ground, but I had to borrow a pair of socks for the way home!  :)

I hope none of you are too superstitious about today being Friday, the 13th.  It's a good day for the Pea family:  Mama Pea found out she was pregnant with me on a Friday, the 13th!  ;)

Over and out.  Hopefully I'll have time to post on Sunday.
 

Miscellaneous . . . Saturday?!

In lieu of time to write,

here's just a smattering of miscellaneous pictures from the last few days:

Tucker Doodle Schnoodle Poodle Oodle Oodle

I opened the door to the deck the other day, and found this little guy:  INSIDE the screen door!  See him?

Cute little tree frog!

Frog butt!  See how the lower portion of his body is the same color as tree bark . . . while the top is the same color as a spring-green leaf?  Camouflage is COOL!

The thimbleberries / salmonberries are beginning to ripen.

Here are two of the remaining three finches in the aviary.  Two died w/in a short time of each other . . . pretty early on.  One had a broken neck but the other didn't seem to.  Bummer.  :(  These are the two male Zebra Finches.

This is one of my favorite flowers:  Pearly Everlasting . . . named so because you can cut them and easily use them as a dried flower. 

And, a solarized pic of Maisy Grace.

In closing, I was greeted by a sight this morning that grosses me out more than most anything:  MOUSE droppings on the kitchen counter!  (Enter the heavy-duty cleaning agents.)  I don't mind mice, but a live mouse in the kitchen?!  Uhhhh . . . no.  And, how is this possible with two cats and two dogs in the house?  Obviously, this is one smart mouse!  But, today, the traps come out!  When I get home tonight, I expect the problem to be fully rectified!

Back At It

I basically gave myself the day off yesterday.  I hadn't had one solid day alone here at home in an age, and it felt super good.  I tossed and turned last night, though:  despite clean sheets and a shower right before bed . . . the rising tide of anxiety, I expect.  Today I'm so stressed / crazy / nearly out of my mind that I can't even see straight (literally, it feels like).  So, I am going to do The Hours to work my way through the day.  And, once again, I'll use you here as my organization / accountability for those 60 minute chunks of time.

This current hour is being spent blogging and then General Clean Up / Organization.  The following hours of my day will switch between 60 minutes of work on the Electrical Disaster (?) in Office and Business Work.  Until the day is over.  But, somehow, I have to stop my head from spinning uncontrollably before I'll be able to concentrate on ANYTHING.  A walk outside with the dogs may be in order.  It's a lovely, blowsy day, so I don't think I'll even need to take my bug jacket (yes, they are beginning to abate).  I may need to do some - ohmmmmm - deep breathing, too, before beginning each hour's assigned work.  Yep, that's what I'll do!  See, talking to you about it IS having the desired affect I'd hoped it would!  Maybe I should lay off the coffee, too, and switch to water or herbal tea.  (Just for the day, mind you!)

Duh, in writing, trying to figure out WHY I'm so scattered . . . I just realized I've not taken my meds in a few days, too.  So, hang on, I'll be right back.  Okay, down the hatch they've gone.  What a brainiac I am (to have forgotten)!  Better living clearer thinking through pharmaceuticals?


The weather has finally broken, and we've all uttered a sigh of relief, I think.  The smoke isn't so bad with the cooler temps and higher winds, either.  (Over one million acres are burning just north of us in Ontario.)


I've missed the window of opportunity to transport some of Papa Pea's bees to Swamp River Ridge for the summer.  Even though it's only the end of July (an ACK! in itself), the growth and transitions of the trees, shrubs, and plants has been fast and furious due to the excess of water and high temps of late.  Already, many of the blooming plants (that the bees would need) are already going to seed.  Besides, Papa Pea told me that such deluges of rain actually wash the pollen OFF of flowers!  So, despite our wishes (Papa Pea's and mine), no beehives for me this year.  Case in point, I saw these goldenrod yesterday, already gone to seed:

The biggest struggle for apiaries up here is still over-wintering them.  Maybe, come fall, my instructor will let me transport a hive here to try overwintering them in the garage - opening up the carriage doors on lovely, warm days for their required cleansing flights.  I'd like to have a go at that (finding a successful way to over-winter).

Also noticed yesterday, the Brown-Eyed Susans are blooming - although closer to the end of their life cycle than the beginning now.

I'm happy with the appearance of this southwest hillside of my property although I rarely see it in the summertime as it's along the wintertime driveway (which I see enough of in the winter!).  Several years ago, the state bought the triangle of land I owned across the road from this hillside in order to perform a small redirection of the road here (not so sharp a curve).  When they'd finished, the hillside was bare, and so I seeded it with this wildflower mix that I'm tickled to say seems to be flourishing now!

Although you can't seem to see the flowers very well in this picture!

And, this is just the west end of the beautiful lake I drive by each day I go out in the winter, but I have few pictures of it in the summer as I almost always drive the shorter / more scenic way!

And, with that, I'll sign off for now.  Even tho it may not seem significant to YOU, I do feel better and a titch more grounded after having gotten these few thoughts rattling around my brain out and down on paper.


Thanks for listening to the ramblings of a 40-year old homesteader who's about to get a new job "off the farm" . . . to support the farm!

Bah Humbug!

Grump, grump, grumble, grumble.  It's my Sunday, and I'm NOT ready to leave the homestead tomorrow!  And, I'm going to a BBQ tonight, so that cuts my day short - especially since I'll definitely need to shower before heading out.  Do I want to go to the BBQ?  Yes.  Do I want to do both:  stay at home AND go?  Yes.  Grump, grump, grumble.  There's just not enough time in the days.  Grump, grump.  And I don't feel like I got enough done here at home (OR my work-from-home office stuff).  Poor me, wah, wah.

Oh, geez, I just resituated my car and put one of the legs down on a cat's tail.  And then sat in the chair.  THAT'll pull me out of my pity party!  ;)

Plus, tonight I'll get to see Bundle of Joy and her parents - we're long overdue for a visit - PLUS My Girl AND the whole family from Let's Get Real!  AND some other friends!  I think there'll be cold beer there, too, and I'm out.  ;)  I was told, "What can you bring?  YourSELF!"  Of course, that means that I'll make rhubarb muffins for dessert.  ;)  Who can go empty-handed?  Oh, right:  men.  (Hahahaha!  Sorry just had to throw that one out there!)  Ooooh, AND, I just saw that the Let's Get Real family has named their acreage:  Tanglewoods Homestead!  I LOVE it!

Hang on, since my time is precious today, I need to make a list.  Scratch paper . . . ???  And I even got up and down w/o stepping on a cat!

I know that another reason I'm complain-y is due to my espresso machine and washing machine.  Which have both gone belly-up.  After a long stint of inactivity, I put the espresso machine in a more user-friendly location in the kitchen and got all set to use it on Monday.  I was really looking forward to it!  And . . . nothin'.  The water does NOT come out.  I took off all the visible-screw parts but couldn't get far enough into the guts.  Eventually, I found a hidden, miniscule screw which I think will afford me that access, but I can't get the dang thing off and fear stripping the head.  I need to soak it in WD-40 and hope that will do the trick . . . and that the WD-40 won't drip into any of the wrong places.  WD-40 infused lattés?  Mmmm, don't think so.  ANYWAY, I'm hoping that the problem is just a clogged water tube.  Something I can easily fix.  I don't relish the thought of boxing up the heavy beast and sending it . . . where? . . . for repairs.  Plus, it was an expensive, quality bugger that I CAN'T just chalk off to our throw-away society. 

And, remember how I said I got a load of rugs washed on Monday?  The proper nomenclature would be "I TIRED to get a load of rugs washed on Monday".  And all night Monday into Tuesday.  And all day yesterday.  Finally, I took out the sopping rugs and, having the same problem with NO LOAD in the machine, realized I need a repairman.  I realized, too, that this problem has been long in coming.  I've had to baby this new (what, in the last 5 years?), digital (bah!) machine for several months.  Unless I do various re-sets to the program after re-sets, it wouldn't finish a load.  So, literally, a single load would take all day to complete.  Not an efficient use of my time NOR off-grid power!  In a whacky way, I almost hope the cost to fix it is too prohibitive in comparison with a new machine.  Mama Pea is giving up her (one of the first) front-loading energy & water-efficient machines for a good, simple, old-fashioned top loader.  And, I want to copy her.  I HAVE found the need for a machine in which clothes could soak.  And, you can't do that in a front loader.  I shudder to think, too, what a service call alone (forget about the repair work!) will cost all the way out here!  Time will tell.  Stay tuned.  Until then, in I go to the laundromat tomorrow.

Speaking of things not working right . . . I didn't think it was possible to screw up rhubarb crisp, but I did it!  I made (correction:  attempted to make) Mom's recipe yesterday, and it was a failure.  Not in the "can't eat" kind of failure but definitely the "wow, that's ugly!" category.  The sugar-cornstarch mixture (need to buy some arrowroot - didn't know that cornstarch was made with GMO corn, but, of course, that doesn't surprise me) was quite thick (maybe I cooked it too long?) and just sat on top of the rhubarb.  ALL through the baking process . . . and I even baked it 15 minutes longer than called for.  Wouldn't soak in at ALL.  Very weird.  And, none of the usual moisture came out of the rhubarb, so the bottom crust / crumb mixture stayed dry.  What the?  Yeah, I checked all my measurements - and they were all correct.  Harrumph!

At least things looked pretty until they came out of the oven!  ;)

AND, to top it all off, I've been having problems with my new laptop being s-l-o-w . . . which, as you can imagine, is neither RIGHT nor stress-relieving.  So, trying to do my office work, 95% of which is online, has been aggravating.  But, Norton is showing no viruses or worms AND I downloaded and ran Housecall yesterday which also picked up no problems.  So, that narrows it down to my Internet connection.  Either the satellite my dish uses is becoming too filled up (something I've already heard tell of) OR a tree has grown into the telecommunications path.  I'll have to look into that latter option.  Unfortunately, there's not much I can do about the first.

In other news, critters and phenology.  (What's phenology of your own making - your front yard - called, I wonder?)

The dragonflies have arrived but NOT in the droves I need them to in order to really make a dent on the bugs (dragonflies eat mosquitoes).  I think it was Judy who made a comment about the bugs - happy for me that they've abated a bit - and it made me wonder:  do most of my readers think that we have an outbreak at the end of May / beginning of June and then they go away?  No, no, no, no, no, no, and au contraire!  As the joke goes, northeastern Minnesota has two seasons:  winter and bug season.  Here at Swamp River Ridge, I'll have three full months (June, July & August) of needing to keep bug dope, head net, and my bug jacket handy.

Lilacs are my ALL-TIME FAVORITE flower, and I was sad to leave the four (?) bushes I had planted at the old house, Hastings-on-the-Lake.  One was situated in a spot that I thought I could sneak it out w/o the buyer noticing too much and so did just that.  This is the first year that it's flowered at Swamp River Ridge, and it's REALLY flowered!  There's NOTHING like opening the front door in the morning to the smell of lilacs!

Speaking of plantings and when they begin flowering . . . do you know anything about Dolgo Crabs?  I planted several a couple of years ago here and, while they are flourishing and thick with foliage, they've never blossomed.  Mama Pea asked me if they were close enough for cross-pollination, and the majority of them are - all along the front walkways.  Anyone know?

 

The blue / purple lupines are beginning to bloom, and the bumblebees are loving 'em!

The pink lupines are still a little shy.

Here's a picture of the leaves on the funky Siberian Peashrub I planted.  Each one is no longer than a dime!

Internet update:  yup, I think it must be a tree in "the line of sight" issue 'cause I'm having troubles uploading photos (which require a constant connection) AND it's windy.  If it IS that, though, I'll take it:  that one, I can fix!  Even tho I HATE to cut down a live tree.  :(

I think this large tree in the distance is the culprit.

Finally, here are some current shots of the chicks, now 6 weeks old.  This is a Faverolle in the foreground.  In the rear is Blinky, the only one I've named . . . she's smaller than the rest, probably because she's blind in one eye!  Or, more to the point, it never opened.  Other than a slightly slower physical development, tho, she seems to be just fine!

Another shot of the Faverolles and their feathered feet.

One of the Barnvelders.  I love when they're young and their feet are such a vibrant color . . . before they start to bleach out with age.

This Faverolle looks as if she's (??) saying to me, "I'll be a good broody hen!  See?  I'm already practicing!!"

Well, this post is going to have to wait to be published, because I can't upload any more pictures or save my work.  I think I'll have to wait until the wind dies.

Okay, it is 4:05 now, and the Internet is finally cooperating (although it's still windy, so . . . ?!).  Rhubarb muffins are out of the oven (at least I can still bake THOSE), and it's time for me to jump into the shower.  Of course, on the one of my three days that I haven't spent any time outside, it's cooler with a lovely breeze keeping the bugs away.  Go figure.

Memorial Day Week, Continued

Memorial Day Week Saga, Part III

Last Thursday, both the kids in my care had already-runny noses, so, between the three of us, there was constant nose blowing and wiping.  Despite how we were all feeling, it was a gorgeous day and so we got in two walks:  one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

Una forgot how her sick self would feel when we were on the way home and she had to push the double stroller UP this hill!  ;)

The rocky knob in the distance is called Camp Five Mountain.  It's a 30-minute hike from Swamp River Ridge, and you can see both the Pigeon & Swamp Rivers from the top of it.  Just GORGEOUS!

Here's E with Tucker:  he's just the right size for little ones!

E was AMAZED at all the "pwetty yewow flowews" (dandelions)!

"Hewe, I picked these flowews for YOU, Una!"  (Awwwww!)

Our second walk of the day took us up to the trapper cabin, and E felt he should clean the porch.  :)

While I oversaw E's cleaning endeavors, C and the dogs patiently waited.

It wasn't until the end of the day and time for jammies that I had the occasion to see the top of C's onesie.  I think you can "read" why I had to snap this picture!  :)

Do you notice how bundled up she was?  Una doesn't really realize just how cool she keeps her house (especially in the shoulders months when the Central Boiler is turned off but it's not yet hot outside) until she has little ones in it!  It took a couple of days of nannying before the brain finally kicked in and I had cozy fires going each morning when they arrived!

While the daddy of the family continued the work on the second story of their cabin on Friday, the mama had her first whole day there and spent the majority of it cleaning, cleaning, cleaning the interior with solutions of bleach water and vinegar water.  The mattresses, comforters and even the new bed frames had to be thrown out.  Everything had to be pulled away from the (finished) walls and the tongue and groove liberally sprayed with mold-killing substances.


As I headed to their land that evening with the kiddies both tucked into their jammies and a good dinner in their bellies, I met them already on the road & driving towards Swamp River Ridge.  Even though the late light would have provided them with visibility for a couple more hours of work, they were plumb exhausted come 5:00.  Matter of fact, on a couple of mornings, the daddy headed out early to work from 5:00 - 8:00 AM before meeting up with the mama to either drop the kids off with me or make runs to the lumber yard, etc.  (Remember, too, that their land is off-grid AND they have a bit of a hike in to their building site.  EVERYTHING needs to be hauled in their long, single-person-width trail.)


What did I do that night after the vehicle / kiddo transfer?  Beats me, but I'm sure I went home to do chores and then collapse!

The weather was gorgeous on Friday, and it was warm out, but the bugs were TERRIFIC!  I didn't realize that until we were well into that day's walk.

It was hot enough that both Maisy & Tucker took every opportunity to get into the cool water along the sides of the road.

This picture is not the best because the mosquitoes & blackflies were SWARMING when I stopped the stroller to quickly take this shot, but they are Bird's-Foot Violets.  (I think.)

Right after I took the picture of the flowers, E asked me to take a picture of him.  He had a GREAT smile on his face, and it would have been a terrific shot . . . but just as the shutter snapped, a blackfly got him!  So, instead, you get reactionary action shots!  ;)

OWW!  Somethin' just bit me!

Poor little guy!  Una, DO something!

And, with that, I'll leave you for today.  Hold tight for the 4th installment.

New Baby Boy to Love!

(The following was written Monday.)

No pictures yet, but Bunny arrived (f-i-n-a-l-l-y) around 1:00 AM this morning!

After nearly 24 hours of labor and no more dilation than 5.5 cm, Bunny's mama got a C-section.  The Peanut was a C-section, too, but they were trying for a VBAC this time 'round.  No such luck!  The mama is teensy, and she grows solid little babies (Bunny was 8 lbs. 4 oz.) AND her body just doesn't seem to want to dilate.  (I shudder to think what this would have meant for her and The Peanut were we living 100 years ago.)

But, with this operation not being an emergency (as The Peanut's was), Mama & Daddy both were calm and Mama was awake through it all . . . so got to see Bunny immediately!

Here's the first picture of the new family of four to come down the electronic communication line!

I can't wait until they come home:  I'm hoping I'll get to meet him on Thursday or Friday when I'm in town!  I'll post pictures just as soon as I get some from the family.

And this one is hot off the presses, taken this morning.

In other news, it is a G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S day!!!  Wowzer!  If I was working outside, I'd be in a tank top, no doubt!  I'm considering switching the heating and hot water system over to the summertime status today.  Of course, rain & snow are predicted for the next day or so . . . .

More phenology:  haven't seen Mr./Ms. Moose the last couple of times in or out, but I did see a cute but stinky skunk yesterday morning, scratching in the dirt at the side of the winter driveway.  I also noticed the v-e-r-y first tiny leaves popping out on one of the trees in the front yard, and today I noticed that Annie Blue's Elderberry, with very swollen buds, was beginning to open!  (And, double bonus, that means it survived last fall's late transplanting!)

(Now writing in "real time" on Tuesday.)

An addition to the last paragraph above:  I thought I'd written a post about Annie Blue's tree last fall, but I looked for it and couldn't find it.  Maybe it was too painful, and I never got around to it.  But, the day that the fisher killed Annie Blue and I buried her, I dug a lovely elderberry up and transplanted it on top of her little grave, right outside the kitchen window.  And, now I feel like I can "talk" to Annie Blue whenever I want . . . and that she's giving additional life support to the tree.

The buds on Annie Blue's Elderberry.

When I was outside taking the above picture, I also snapped the following two:

The chives are popping up!

I hadn't noticed it before, but some little critter did a number on two low branches of one of the Dolgo Crabs.  Normally, this would be evidence of a rabbit's handiwork, but I've seen nary a one all year here on the ridge.  That doesn't exclude the possibility, but maybe it was a porcupine (although I haven't seen one of them lately, either) . . . or a ??

As much as yesterday was glorious, today is grey and dreary.  More snow is predicted, too.  So, I decided NOT to switch over to the summertime heating / hot water system yet . . . which was probably just as well.  The snow has finally melted away from the area directly underneath the clothesline, so the fact that the laundry I washed last night in preparation for hanging out (for the first time) today probably jinxed the good weather!


I have oodles of paperwork to slog through in preparation for my tax appointment on Friday (I had my tax preparer file an extension), so that will take up the bulk of today's time.  (I slept - again! - until 12:45 [!!!!!] today!)  A good day for inside work, I guess.


Yesterday's glorious weather brought the first of springtime's "drop-bys" - folks out enjoying the weather and driving the back roads.  It reminded me, too, to get the house in better shape for unexpected visitors.  When the dogs alerted me to the small pickup in the yard I was a little apprehensive, not recognizing it.  My wariness was upped when they asked if the pickup stuck down the road was mine and if I wanted them to pull me out?  Uhhh, based on the fact that you are two strange men I don't know . . . ?  Umm, that'd be no.  But then, one of them (probably sensing my hesitation), asked, "You're Papa Pea's daughter, aren't you?  I'm so-and-so who owns the cedar mill outside of town."  Oh!  Then, the BIG GUY (!) stuck out his beefy hand and introduced himself.  He was the husband of a woman whose done a few drop-bys herself, someone I'd always known about but had never met.  Ahhh, well then, we all know each other!  Apprehension and wariness removed!

"Yah, we're just drivin' around, drinkin' beer.  You want one?"  Sure!  So then, we three took the traditional stance, leaning on their pickup, drinking ice cold beer from their cooler on a glorious spring day.  :)

We talked about religion, we talked about divorce.  (Big Guy was on his 2nd - or third? - marriage, and Cedar Mill Guy's wife had left him.  They knew I'd been left by my hubby and were probably checking up on me, seeing if they could help.  Which is awfully sweet.)  We talked about my stuck truck again:  they said I should be able to drive it right out in a day or two, the snow had gone down that much (but offered, again, to pull me out).  We talked about the road being (ha!) closed to anything with more weight than 1000 pounds and how that restriction only really applied to logging trucks, they said.  Uh-huh, right.  Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.  They liked the White Trash bridges I'd built.  ;)  We talked about Papa Pea.  Cedar Mill Guy thinks he's just the bee's knees . . . or, as he said, "just an EXCELLENT man!"  We talked about money (who has any?) and stress (which had caused them to take the day's drive and a break from business paperwork).  Overall, it was one of those visits that reminds me that, even people I might not know, are aware of my situation and lookin' out for me.  And that does my heart good.  :)

Having unexpected visitors also allowed me to look at Swamp River Ridge through their eyes, and I wasn't thrilled with what I saw.  Lots of winter's accumulation of dry dog poop to be raked up, the woodshed filled with recycling and garbage waiting to be sorted and hauled away.  Metal fencing needing to be repaired after winter's toll on it, general yard clean-up.  I'd like to make myself a new goal:  to spend at least one hour on outside, general clean-up / maintenance tasks each day now that it seems to be (almost?  maybe?) springtime.

The longer I sit here writing, the darker it's becoming outside.  I'm suddenly thinking that I should walk out to the truck today to see if I can get it home . . . in case I do get more snow accumulation and need to plow again.

My apologies for the disjointed nature of this post, but it's how my brain is today!  Maybe it's because I'm still waking up, because I slept another 12 hours last night?  I dunno.  Just one of those "off" days, I guess.

Okay, let me go back up and re-read what I've written and insert some pictures!

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I haven't uploaded all the pictures I have - I'll do that later.  But, the mercury has dropped 3 degrees since I've been writing, and white stuff is coming down.  I'm gonna suit up and the dogs and I will walk out to try to get the truck home.  Stay tuned!

Here I Am

Good morning!  Looks like it's gonna be a beautiful day in northeastern Minnesota, and we NEED it!  Yesterday was the first sunny day following last week's 8-10" and the temps had stayed cool, so I haven't lost much of the snow yet.  Ugh.  I'm anxious to take the plow off the truck 'cause I have lots of springtime jobs slated for the pickup, but I don't want to take the plow off 'til I can get up the trapper cabin road to the plow's summertime storage space (okay, and the dead birch tree I bash when I have troubles getting it on).  Which reminds me:  I need to cut down the bulk of that tree.  Last fall, as I was bashing away at it, I did have some concern that the top half was going to break off and fall on the truck!

Springtime's phenology:  last week brought the first robins and northern flickers, and now they're thick along the winter driveway's ditches.  Yesterday morning I had nuthatches, chickadees, redpolls, blue jays, purple finches, and juncos at the bird feeder . . . and then a CROW!  I've never seen a crow at my bird feeder, but I suppose stranger things have happened.

Then, this morning was the first that I lay in bed and heard the long trill of a springtime songbird.  I LOVE that:  listening to the birds sing on the spring and summertime mornings!

I know I was quiet over "my weekend".  On Monday, My Girl and I had a really lovely but LONG day in the big city of Duluth.  Got lots of To Dos and appointments taken care of.  I picked her up in town at 8:00 (which means I left here at - ugh - 7:00 AM), and we weren't home until between 9:30 and 10:00 PM (to town - still an hour to go for me), if memory serves.  We were go, go, going that whole time aside from a yummy dinner at Olive Garden (I'm a slave for their salad!) with her high school BFF who now attends St. Scholastica.  I felt very . . . maternal . . . looking at the two of them giggle and act like "old times" across the booth from me.  How did it happen that I'm no longer the poor college student being taken out for a meal and, instead, am the "mature" one of the group?  'Course, I WAS the only one who got to down a Cosmopolitan after a hard day, so I guess I shouldn't complain!  ;)


Come Tuesday, I didn't realize that I was uber exhausted (I can usually feel it), although (in preparation for a lie-in) I did tell the 4 inside cats and dogs that anyone who woke me up Tuesday morning was gonna get their head chopped off.  They took my threat seriously, and I woke up at noon!  Get THIS, tho:  I fell back asleep on the couch after dinner at 6:00 PM, woke up at 9:00 to a cafuffle in the chicken yard (nothing more than the geese attacking the rooster, fortunately), went to bed at 10:00 PM . . . and didn't wake up until NOON again on Wednesday!!!  So, I was awake for a total of 7 hours on Tuesday and then slept for 14 hours straight!  Good Golly, Miss Molly!


As I was standing at the kitchen sink on Wednesday, washing dishes, a fat, furry creature suddenly appeared at the base of the sunflower seed can outside.  It's been SO long since I've seen one of these critters that I was a little shocked at first, my heart thumping!

Silly me . . . it was just a woodchuck / whistle pig / groundhog / marmot.

Hmmm, how do I get into this thing?

I like this picture because s/he's about ready to go tumbling off (although you can't really tell)!  See how the left fore-paw is just a blur?  He was scrambling for his nails to catch before he lost his grip (didn't work)!

His/her sniffer must not've been workin' right 'cause I'd just filled up the bird feeder right behind him/her!

Annnnd, then I was spied through the kitchen window and s/he was off.  Looks kinda like a badger from the front, doesn't s/he?

 I've been fortunate enough to see moose almost each trip in and out these past couple of days, too!  I took the new header picture yesterday morning, and then I caught a glimpse of the same (?) moose last night on the way home.  I got a couple of decent pictures yesterday, and I'll post those plus another video the next chance I get.

Happy Earth Day!  Love your mother!