Good Tuesday Morning

Good morning!  It's another GORGEOUS day in northeastern Minnesota (oops, just remembered to pull some butter out of the refrig to soften - be right back).  'Kay, that's done.  Gonna do some baking today.  All based around rhubarb, of course.  Hey, random thought:  is rhubarb only an "up north" thing or do y'all have it in the south (maturing much earlier, of course)?

Where's my camera - there's a cat in the cedar!  Hang on!  

Does Bonzi in a cedar = Bonsai?

"Hmm, I'm pretty high up", she says!

Headin' back down.  Thank goodness for claws!

Anyway . . . !  My four consecutive days in the office last week went by faster than any four have before.  ZOOM! and they were gone.  Dunno why - there wasn't anything unique going on.  I even managed to get home at the "regular time" most of the nights, my social calendar being slight last week.  ;)  On Thursday night, My Girl asked me to come to her house in town for dinner.  A couple of months ago, she moved from her single "nothing special" rental to an ADORABLE old log cabin rented by a new girlfriend.  Two bedrooms, back porch, huge yard, the whole nine yards . . . and yet, still right in downtown!  After dinner. we sat on the back porch while she played her acoustic guitar for me.

An aside about small town living:  when My Girl told me about this new woman she'd met and who would be her potential roommate, I asked the usual questions whenever she mentions someone new:

• Is s/he local?  If so, who are the parents?  (Gawd, I sound like such a mother!)
• What's his/her "story"?
• Where does s/he work?

When I found out that this new friend worked at the same resort as The Peanut & Bunny's mama, I quizzed the mama.  "Oh!  She's GREAT!  That woman is as SOLID as a ROCK!"  Okay:  she passed.  ;)  (And, she really is wonderful I see as I get to know her.)

On Friday, I got an early phone call and bribe to get me into town early (i.e., when I SHOULD be getting into town!):  did I want to meet above-mentioned mama and The Peanut and Bunny for donuts and a visit?  YES!  

We met at the library before we went to the (most amazing in the world and only open in the summertime) donut shop.  When I parked, I recognized the vehicle of my first nannying family, so I knew it would be a double-bonus morning for Bopee!  It was really adorable:  when I walked into the library and stopped at the front desk to drop off my returns, I saw The Peanut and this other little girl (who's gonna be - gasp! - SIX in September!) huddled together over a pile of books in the children's section.  The little girl, who I'll call Ruti (because that's what her parents called her in utero:  little rutabaga), looked up and got her shy, sweet big smile and said to The Peanut, "It's Bopee!  Let's get 'er!"  They both came running over, and, as I dropped down to my knees, they both ran into my arms for some love.  (Awwwww!)

Fast-forward past the library visit, and The Peanut and her family (minus daddy who was at work, of course) and I were leaving.  As we passed the rest rooms, the mama suggested that The Peanut go potty before we left.  I pushed the mama out the door to get settled into their vehicle with Bunny and took The Peanut to the bathroom.  We were chatting away in there and then, as I helped her hop off the toilet, I got a spontaneous, "I love you, Bopee!"  Ohhh, my heart!  :)

Anyway, if memory serves, I was home right after work on all three of my remaining town days, and I actually got something done those evenings (which are usually a moot point).  All outside work and all lawn/yard care.  Fully suited up against the bugs, of course.

Happily, the bugs HAVE gotten better from the intolerable state they were a week or so ago!  Even though I STILL don't have the canopy for the bed (they FORGOT TO INCLUDE IT with the rest of my order - ARGGHHHHH!), I've been able to sleep the last few nights without having to duck into the not-very-breathable-but-nearly-bug-proof tent I made over a portion of the bed with sheets hung down from the ceiling.  Matter of fact, I was able to work outside for much of the day yesterday in shorts & a tank and just a smattering of bug dope!  Starting around 4:00 PM, though, the blackflies came out in massive numbers, and I had to dive into my bug jacket which is protective but anything but cool.  I figure I maybe sweated off a pound or two in it, though.  ;)

My three days at home (2 "off" and 1 "working from home") have evolved into a fairly equal division of 60-minute increments once I "start my day".  And, it's a great balance for me when it's either hot or buggy (or both!) outside.  I'll set the timer and do 1 hour of work here at the computer for my business, then reset it for an hour's worth of work outside or around the house.  That repeats all day until I've got no more oomph at night.  I focus on the outside work during the less buggy parts of the day and then inside jobs in the evening (dishes, cleaning, vacuuming, etc.).  It's a good arrangement because if it's hideously hot (okay, so, for me, that's anywhere above 75 degrees) or buggy OR if my eyes are bugging out at the computer over a particularly brain-intensive job for work, I know I'll have a break in a very short time!  The down side is that I never feel like I have any days "off" anymore, but it's balanced by the fact that I *am* at home those days!  And, right now while I'm really making an effort to get on top of things, it feels necessary.  But manageable.  And still good.  :)

So, yesterday, I got a client's brochure (designed last year) reformatted and sent to the printer for a batch of new copies.  The first proof will be waiting for me to approve when I get into town later this week.  I always prefer to see how it will come off the press before I order ALL the copies!  (I've learned that the hard way.)  That took the majority of my business time yesterday but, for the life of me, I can't remember what the rest of the time was spent on!  Outside, I got a lot done:

• A couple of days ago, I locked the five chickens I got from Papa Pea last fall (six, originally, but I lost a hen in late winter) out of the chicken house and let the 10 chicks (now gawky tweens) have the entirety of the space to themselves.  They'd outgrown their brooder about a week before, and it was TIME!  Yesterday was the first chance I had to really adjust everything to suit their small size, though, and it felt good to get those adjustments made.  I should get some pics of them to show their growth progress, shouldn't I?
• The two slate pathways leading from the front and side doors and then converging into one wide path are lined with trees and shrubs that I planted after moving here to Swamp River Ridge and (the ex) finished those walkways.  Yesterday, I got almost ALL the trees pruned at the bases:  high enough for the lawn mower to get nice and close to their trunks.  Also finished clipping the winter's dead stuff off almost all the shrubs.  Everything is fully leafed out now, so I can see the branches that really ARE dead!
• I got a bit more weed-whipping done, too, but that continues to be a battle.  Either the rechargeable battery in the unit has passed its prime or I have the wrong cord for plugging it in and it's not recharging.  Or, it's just not as heavy duty as I thought I remember it being.  I think I'm just gonna have to break down and haul the big, gasoline-powered brush cutter / trimmer down from upstairs in the garage.  ("But the rechargeable one is so much smaller and lighter!", she whines.  Perhaps that's why it doesn't work very well, too!)
• Spent a lot of time watering the hanging baskets and outside plants.  We haven't gotten any rain in a few days, and the ground is DRY.  Cleaned up the small deck off the kitchen and finally moved the grill to its new space.
• Threw tennis balls innumerable times for Maisy.
• Got a load of rugs washed.
• Lastly, ensconced in the heat of my bug jacket and full head covering, I got out the pick axe (yes, that is NO exaggeration - I felt like I should be mining for gold or working on the railroad!) and shovel and dug two holes for planting two new trees along above-mentioned slate walkway.  As I said, the ground is dry and hard.  And rock-filled.  But, I got a very cool-looking Siberian Peashrub and one of the ten new Juneberry saplings planted and staked.

Do you know what a Siberian Peashrub is?  I'd never seen or heard of such a thing until a week ago Sunday when Mama Pea and I went to the local discount nursery.  It has the coolest looking leaves and a hardiness zone of 2 / -50 degrees, so I snapped it up!  It was the only one there, too.  I'll take a picture of it later today for you.

And speaking of pictures, I'll leave you with these:

How many of you get to enjoy American Goldfinches?  The males, currently in their breeding plumage, are STUNNING!

I'm eternally dreaming about my to-be-someday camera with a zoom.  I have it all picked out but noooo money.  Until then, these amateur photos will have to suffice.

Week before last, My Girl and I met for lunch at the local fish market.  Their deck is protected enough that we got to sit outside in the sun for the first time.  Not a bad view, eh?

One of the last times I stopped at the P.O. to pick up my mail (I usually make it about once a week), this BIG package was waiting.  What the heck had I ordered?  I couldn't remember a thing!

Whoo-hooo!  It was my most recent order of audio books from the library!  Yep, this is how I ROLL!  :)

I'm currently reading this book (in the house) - LOVE it and will look for more by this author!

And this classic (in the car - which can only play cassettes).  Double bonus from these two books set in Ireland:  I'm boning up on my Irish accent!  ;)

And, with that, I'll leave you and get on with my day.  I've spent a couple of hours here already this morning!  ON with it!

A Day of Progress . . . I Hope!

Good morning!  I had an extremely abbreviated day at the office yesterday:  I was there not more than an hour total, tops.  Why?  Vet appointments.  I had Bonzi (cat) spayed a couple of weeks ago, and she needed to have her stitches taken out.  Maisy and Tucker were overdue for rabies vaccinations and couldn't travel to the regular vet in Canada before they were up-to-date.

Unfortunately, Bonzi KNEW what had happened to her the last time I'd put her into the carrying crate and then into the car, and so she couldn't be found when it was time to leave!  Fortunately, after shutting the dogs (who might be tempted to chase her) in the car, I called and called and called and called . . . and finally she came around the house from the valley side.  Her anxiety only increased in the car, though, I'm sad to report:  she did a dang good job of cleansing her body of any/all waste . . . poop, pee, and vomit.  Poor thing.  It was only last night when I was on my way home that I remembered having purchased an anti-stress OVC med for the cats when traveling!  Duh.  Will have to try that next time (if) they have to go anywhere in the car.

I thought this was dear:  right after she cleaned out her gut and the car began to reek, Tucker was still cuddled up to her as if to say, "It's gonna be okay.  Just a little while longer!"

Awwwww!

Poor Papa Pea had to help with cleaning Bonzi and the cage up, but, fortunately, he was already wearing overalls!  Mama Pea was gone on errands in town:  I don't think she was sorry to have missed it.  ;)  Of course, it wasn't until Bonzi was back in the crate and I was at the vet's that I found out that Pine-Sol can cause seizures in cats!  Argh!  Fortunately, Papa Pea had only put a tiny splosh into the water, and the vet couldn't even smell it when we were in the exam room, so she assured me that all was fine.  

But, a warning to all you pet owners out there:  these are SAFE cleaning agents if you have cats & dogs in the house:

• 1 Part Bleach to 20 Parts Water (but not good if you have a septic system)
• Murphy's Oil
• Vinegar & Water, Half & Half

Any-way . . . between getting in late due to Bonzi, two hours at the vet's and then the very limited time at the office and finally leaving town early so as to get the stressed Bonzi home . . . it was a useless day, business-wise.  And, weirdly enough, I absolutely CRASHED when we got home!  I was actually worried that I was coming down with something because, every time I tried to get up to force myself to do something, I groaned, "Ohhhhhh, my gawd."  So, about all I got done was chores last night.  I am tired this AM but I think I feel okay.  Really, though, I've not woken up or moved enough to tell yet.

Here's hoping that the way I felt last night was a fluke, and I'll get LOTS done at the office today!!!
   

Good Morning!

It's a shocker, I know, that I'm finally here.  What's MORE of a shocker is that I'm up with hot coffee and beginning to write at 6:39 AM!  Maybe I'm making up for yesterday when I didn't wake up until noon after 13 straight hours of sleep!  Last night, I got just over 5, thanks to Dosie (the cat) who was tearing up and down the board walkway that connects the two decks, right underneath the bedroom window this morning.  How can 6 pounds of cat sound like an elephant when they do that?!  Then, of course, just as I was plodding downstairs to show her that I'd left the front door open a crack, specifically to avoid being wakened by animals wanting to go out or come in, she came scampering UP the stairs!  Sigh.  Kids!

I was just reviewing the pictures I've taken in the past several days to remind myself what to post about, and there's a lot!  But, you won't get it all right now: tooooo much.  Last Tuesday was the day my dad, Papa Pea, came out and when I started making some real headway cleaning up the front yard and prepping for it the summer.  Within this past week, we had our first real day of spring . . . and then it was summer.  I kid you not.  One day of spring, yep:  that was all we got.  Cold, cold, cold and then HOT (by my warped standards, anyway).

Last Wednesday, I shut down the outside wood furnace and made all the appropriate adjustments necessary to transfer production of the house's hot water to the water heater (which just serves as a hot water storage tank in the wintertime when it's heated from the boiler).  The mosquitoes arrived but not in droves, thank goodness.  I haven't had to wear a headnet or bug dope yet.  No blackflies, either, but I hesitate to jinx things by even mentioning that!  I also refilled the batteries.  Papa Pea had taken a look at them when he was here (I had some concern about the sulfuric build-up on some of the terminals) and cautioned me that they off-gas and, therefore, lose more of their acid/water balance as they age.  So, I need to keep a closer eye on that.  We also discussed a new physical layout for the batteries when I get my new ones:  as I've mentioned before, the 24 large, deep-cycle batteries are place three deep and eight across, and the depth is too much to allow for any sort of personal physical comfort when maintaining them.

We northeastern Minnesotans put our hummingbird feeders out around the 15th of May, and I thought I saw a quick glimpse of one on Sunday, but I couldn't be sure.  At any rate, I got their sugar water made and out on Monday, and I saw the first . . . and then a couple . . . little guy(s)/gal(s) yesterday morning.

My days before, during, and after the upcoming holiday weekend are gonna be a whirlwind of activity:  my oldest girlfriend and her family are coming from their home in St. Paul to put the second story on their cabin, just 9 miles east of me (keep your fingers crossed for good weather!).  She's a physician's assistant, and her hubby is a physicist, so their schedules are tight.  Due to that, they'd planned this trip last fall and booked me to nanny for their two little ones - ages 2 1/2 and, let me count, 9 months - for five of those days.  I begged off from the Saturday & Sunday of the Memorial Day Week(end) so I could be in my gallery in town, hoping to grab the first of the season's tourists.  AND, my uncle and his wife from California might be visiting over those same days . . . so it's gonna be a BUSY time!

I've really kicked it into overdrive concerning my business, too, and my days "off" seem to be more productive than my in-office days.  While I'm not necessarily complaining, the problem with being in my office is that friends know that I'm in my office!  So, getting things done there seems to be a bit ineffectual.  I think I'm going to start trying to change that by keeping the door to my office closed.  If that doesn't work, I'll have to start putting the word out that I really can't be visited.  And/or just really limit those visits.  It's my own fault, I know:  when they say, "I really shouldn't be tying you up!" . . . I tend to respond, "I know, but I never see you!"  So, WHY am I complaining?  Yes, I am in charge of my own schedule:  I need to learn to put a cap on things.  ;)

But, following a COMPLETE waste of limited time in the office last week, I've made the first two of my three consecutive days here at home count.  I've put myself on an hourly schedule, and it's all about my 60-minute timer.  I'll do one hour at the computer on business work, then one hour on Swamp River Ridge work.  Rinse and repeat until the end of the day when I'm exhausted.  Usually around 9:00 or 10:00 PM.  BUT, I am getting things DONE, and that feels good!

My "around the homestead" accomplishments these past days have been based around the good weather:  laundry out on the line to dry, high-pressure washing of the second and larger slate walkway, planting a border of lily bulbs in an area susceptible to erosion, intense vacuuming (while the sun shines & charges my w-e-a-k and desperately-needing-to-be-replaced battery system), keeping an eye on the chicks (haven't lost one yet although I did have to perform an "emergency procedure" on a very pasty vent Sunday night), weeding, pruning trees, putting rock borders around perennials and trees, and more general clean-up of the front yard.  Even though there's no substantial green on the trees yet, I could already mow some of the grass . . . which I think I may start today.

I took a short walk in the woods the other day to see what I could find poking up through the duff:  wood anemones only, so far.  The unopened blossoms are particularly pink this year.

The ticks seem to be out in force already, though:  while at The Peanut's & Bunny's house for dinner last Friday night, I had to rather suddenly excuse myself to the bathroom as I sqeaked, "Excuse me, I have SOMETHINGCRAWLINGUPMYLEG!"  Their dad just said, "Mmm.  Tick."  I dropped trou in the bathroom and The Peanut came zoomin' in to say, "Can I see?!"  Yep, first tick of the season.  I showed her how to CRUSH their hard shells to make sure it was d-e-a-d!  Then, last night as I was sitting here in this chair in the library crocheting, I felt something drop onto my neck.  Yup, another one.  (How many of you are starting to itch and creep out, reading this?!)  I'd felt something in my hair earlier in the evening but couldn't find anything . . . I suspect it was the tick.  Yuck.  BUT, I'll take ticks ANY day of the week over (shudder) spiders.  (As I look overhead to make sure there isn't one ready to fall down on me.  Spider, not tick.)

I took the new header photo last Thursday as I headed into town, less than a mile down the road from home.  At first glance, I thought, "Oh, a baby!"  I was even a little hesitant to stop to take the picture, wondering where protective Mama was.  But, then I realized that it was just a small yearling:  freshly kicked out of the nest.  Cow moose (meese?) keep their calves through the whole first year until they calf again in the springtime:  then the 1-year old gets kicked to the curb to fend for him/herself!

So, with that, it's time for pictures.  Let's see what I can find of interest to post.

I took this picture a week ago last Monday to show how things were starting to green up.  Yes, that is snow in the right-hand side of the picture.  But, it's - finally - all gone now.

The soft needles of the Tamarack (aka American Larch) are starting to pop.

I took this yesterday to show that there are no green leaves on the trees yet.  This, across the driveway from the chicken house and poultry yard, is where I'd like to build a small barn - just out of view at the far left.  The structure that you see was going to be the home for the bee hives, but I've since found a better spot for them.  Instead, I will use this as a small, enclosed garden area . . . once it's repaired from the damage caused by a huge tree falling on it a couple of years ago.

I got the large front deck completely cleaned up yesterday.  Outdoor rugs moved and vacuumed, spider webs cleared.  Then, moved as many houseplants as will tolerate the outside conditions out there.  Got the new cover on the table, too.  Now, aside from the furniture cushions which need to stay inside unless being used, it's user-friendly and ready to go!

Finally, I'll leave you with a picture of the kitties, curled up on the afternoon sun.  I love it when they cozy up together!

I hope you have a terrific Wednesday!

Just the Kitties

My day has been a complete Comedy of Errors, so, instead of trying to write a witty & insightful post, I'll show some pictures of the woodshed cats that I took yesterday.

These first two are of Bonzi, the more social (by far!) of the two.  I've handled her enough to know that she's a girl.  (Ooops!  Just did some quick, online research, and I guess I'm still not sure of either of 'em, boys or girls or one of each!)

Here's timid little Dosie.  S/he's really not as skittish as s/he appears here:  I'm sure one of the dogs was coming at her, full-force, when I took this.  It's the best shot I've gotten yet of her, though.

They are both super-duper sweet, though, and still haven't tried to come down to the house.  Neither have I noticed Annie Blue hanging out with them . . . .