Green Beans Galore

I knew that my green beans would be ready soon so I went out to the garden last night with a plastic bag prepared to pick a few. A few?! I had green beans galore. I picked over 5 pounds of green beans. Who planted all these beans? Who thought two rows would be the right amount? I did. The seed manufacturers put so many seeds in the package that I tend to plant more than I need. I only planted half the package. Lucky for me I work where I do. I set a big bag of green beans on the break room table along side a big bag of extra leaf lettuce. The free vegetables were gone right away and appreciated very much. Note to self: Bush Blue Lake green beans - one row will be more than enough.

Illiterate Bird

So Unfair

I can NOT believe it! I learned that each licking of an envelope seal is 5 calories. This is SO WRONG! Envelope seals taste terrible. There is no nutritional label on it. Who snuck calories into these things? What's next? Calorie counts on reading the grocery ads? How many calories will it cost me to walk by a bakery? Will smelling a whiff of grease as I drive by a steak restaurant add to my daily intake?

Join Me On A Canoe Trip This Saturday!

August 1, 2009 Special Trip in Voyager Canoes for Master Naturalist Volunteers, family, friends, and Instructors! Paddle the Mississippi and learn about the natural and cultural history of the surrounding area. Interpretation is provided by the National Park Service. All equipment and safety gear provided. Bring your own lunch. Cost: 60.00 per person limited to 24 people. ( 12 slots left) Used by American Indians for food- trade- and water supply long before Europeans visited the "New World-" the Mississippi River helped shape the Twin Cities' ecology and culture. Explore the river and its history in 24-foot Voyageur canoes- which hold 6-10 paddlers. Formed more than 10-000 years ago when glacial River Warren cut a gorge over 600 feet deep- the Mississippi River is more than the border between Minneapolis and St. Paul. It is an "urban wilderness" corridor of rich river habitat. Tucked amidst sandy beaches and towering cottonwood trees- the river provides habitat for some of the 270 different species of birds that migrate through and rest in the Mississippi's steep bluffs. The Lakota called the river "Hah-wkpa" (River of the Falls) after St. Anthony Falls. In the 1800's early settlers used the power of St. Anthony Falls to grind wheat- giving birth to the flour milling industry. Come learn about and enjoy the world-renowned river that flows though your back yard.We will be traveling through a lock and dam! Too cool. I will be going and would love to meet you and have you join in on the fun. Call 1-888-241-4532 to register

New Favorite Road

My friend at work recommended a new road to take. He said it was beautiful because trees overhang both sides and form a canopy over the road. The road has curves, hills, and even an awesome tunnel. This road he was talking about starts just north of Hugo and comes out at Marine on the St. Croix. He said it was county road 4. So today I took off on the motorcycle determined to ride this road. He was right. This is one of my new favorite roads. When you first leave Highway 61, the road is like any other with wide shoulders and straight lines. The closer I got to the St. Croix valley, the more interesting the road became. The shoulders got narrow and eventually disappeared. The speed limit went down. The trees weren't cut down at the edges of the road so they could form a canopy above me. The speed limit through the tunnel is 10 mph. Just a couple miles more and I was in the town. I came to an intersection with a Lutheran church where people were setting up for a church picnic. The 50 cup coffee urn was on one table and people were setting out bowls and serving platters. I turned south to go through Stillwater and went north on Hwy. 35 to Osceola. I stopped for lunch and watched the canoes paddle with the current. I kept going north to St. Croix Falls. I headed east to Taylors Falls and south again to Marine on the St. Croix so I could take my new favorite road in the other direction toward home. I had a lovely ride. I have an odd tan - twin two inch strips on my forearms where the wind pushes back on my jacket sleeves beyond the length of my leather gloves.

Mill City Museum

Today we went to visit the Mill City Museum. This museum is a good value for the admission price. We started off with a 20 minute video about the history of Minneapolis. The short movie is written and directed by Kevin Kling. He's so funny! I wish all history could be as entertaining. After the movie we went up the flour tower - a half hour multi media elevator ride up all nine floors of the burned out flour mill. The view from the ninth floor balcony is stunning. The mill closed in the 1960's and part of the tour is listening to the voices of people who worked in the mill. I learned a lot today. One thing I didn't know is that Pillsbury and Gold Medal flour sold to homeowners and individual consumers. Cargill and other giant food businesses are the ones who sold to bakeries and the general food industry. When we started to buy convenience foods, prepackaged breads and cookies, Pillsbury and Gold Medal mills suffered. This museum is great for kids because they have a hands-on area. I especially liked the Mississippi river water table where I could open and close the locks and divert the water into the turbines. In another area museum staff demonstrated a flour dust explosion using cornstarch and electrical sparks. I think he might have put a little too much corn starch in there because he burned off some arm hair. I never pass up a chance to see an explosion. After the museum we walked across the river on the stone arch bridge where people were already setting up blankets and lawn chairs to watch the fireworks tonight. They only have to wait 5 hours but they looked content to stay all evening.

Little Red and Blue Bundles of Joy

Last night I walked out in the lawn where I planted raspberry plants last year. I found some ripe raspberries. I now have two offspring at home. Did I tell them about this find? No. I'm keeping it to myself. I picked a handful of berries and ate them before I got back to the house. Berries picked and eaten in the same minute taste so much better than store bought. I love raspberries! Some friends of mine went blueberry picking in the woods of Wisconsin. They brought me back a small baggie of blueberries. Those didn't make it home either. I popped those blue bundles of joy right into my mouth on the drive home. Wild blueberries taste so much better than store bought. I'm really enjoying the fruits of summer.

Life List by Olivia Gentile

This book is written about a woman named Phoebe Snetsinger. Phoebe (appropriately named) studied science in college, got married, had four children, and watched birds. She made a list of all the birds she had seen. Eventually she held the world's record for being the first person to see 8,000 specie. Was Phoebe Snetsinger a great scientist? Or was she a obsessive compulsive nutjob? Was she a good role model for her children? Or did she neglect her husband and children to make her world record? Would we even be asking that last question if she were a male? My opinion is that she was a great scientist and a nut job and a good role model and a neglectful wife and mother. People are complicated. Read the book and decide for yourself who Phoebe Snetsinger was.

Exhausted

Every year I give a training in July on the vulnerable adult act. The topic can be dry so I liven it up by making it a "Jeopardy" style game. My fellow employees get into the game. They actually study hard before the game so they can win. In the first round of Jeopardy, they can win up to $500 per question. In the second round, they can win up to $5,000 per question. I'm talking big money! Purely hypothetical money, but big. We have teams. We have push buttons with lights that flash. I used to type the categories and answers on paper and use two large grease boards. Now I use power point. With the help of a coworker I introduce the game, go over the rules and the categories and get the game started. My coworker is the referee in any disputes. Any disputes! I mean all the disputes. This wild group of employees have many disputes. I think they're just working of the stress of our jobs by having fun poking fun at each other and accusing the other teams of cheating. When the insults get a little too uncomfortable, I usually say "Ouch!" and clutch my chest as if I've been stabbed. That usually lightens up the tension. Besides referee, my coworker decides which team lit their light first - no easy task. My job is to run the power point program and to read each slide. This afternoon was the fourth and final game of jeopardy. We had about 20 contestants. Everybody was talking at once. Before we got started, my supervisor game me a look that I read to say, "These people are getting on my nerves." I was tempted to return his look with one that said, "Who hired these yoohoo's? Not me!" but I stifled that by yelling, "Hey! Hey!" I started the game. One contestant decided to talk in a cartoon character voice during the entire game. I told her, "Your voice sounds different today," but that didn't stop her. Why she chose this game to sound like a Loony Tune I have no idea. She only added to the carnival atmosphere. Sometimes the quietest people get very competitive. I get startled when a person acts out of character, yells out the answer, pounds their fist on the table, leans over the table and taunts the opposing team. Freaks me out. I have never heard of any hard feelings. As a trainer, I am sweaty and exhausted after every game of Jeopardy and so is my referee. We're glad to be done with Jeopardy for 2009.

Yeah! Fair Opens Today!

The Anoka fair opens today. I love driving by the fair seeing the people whirl by on the tilt-a-whirl. I could even see several black and white bunnies inside a barn. The beer gardens were playing 70's music (really love your peaches, won't you shake your tree). Kids wearing helmets were riding horses. I saw the pizza stand and the walleye on a stick stand. I look forward to driving by every day this week.

Strange Experience

I had the strangest experience going to work this morning. I was nearing the end of my driveway about to turn left. I had the motorcycle in first gear. I'm cautious because some people are in a hurry this early in the morning. As I drew near the road, I looked east and west and saw the coast was clear. I continued moving but heard a sound like a huge vehicle was very close. My eyes saw the road was clear but my ears told me otherwise. Wearing a helmet muffles some sound. My brain wanted to follow what my eyes were telling me but my arms and legs wanted to follow what the ears told me. Part of me wanted to proceed and part of me wanted to wait. I didn't know what to do. So I wobbled in my indecision and had to put my feet down to keep my balance. I stopped. Just coming up the hill about a block away was the garbage truck. The truck makes extra noise as it picks up and shakes the contents out of each bin into the truck. The extra noise made the truck seem closer than it was. Once my eyes and ears were synchronized, I could proceed.

Shore Time

About 7 years ago, Offspring #2 and I were traveling in England. We talked with a man who lived in the English countryside. We told him where we lived. My short cut in England for that question was, "Northern center of the nation, next to Canada." People there seemed to understand that the quickest. He asked me how I could stand to be so far from the sea. He said he needs to see the sea. I told him I grew up never seeing the sea and didn't know anything different. Ever since that conversation, I treasure my time near the sea. I've been on the west coast and the east coast this year. Seeing both coasts in one year has happened to me only once before. When I get the chance to see the ocean, I spend time just soaking in the crash of the waves and the smell of salt air. I watch the tide come in and the tide go out like the earth's long, deep breaths. I walk in the water and gaze out to sea. I know I'll have to wait a long time before I see the sea again.

Lobster

While in Rhode Island we were invited for dinner by two most gracious people who have been a big support to us over the years. They live in a mansion on the bay. They served us surf and turf; lobster and steak. We also had grilled asparagus, macaroni and cheese, salad, and ice cream with fresh strawberries. The three of us watched as she pulled the lobster out of the refrigerator. This kitchen has a semi-circular counter around the stove area and is perfect for watching someone cook. The gigantic pot of water was boiling on the stove. As she opened the white paper bag, the lobsters were moving around slowly, wiggling their legs and moving their claws. Rubber bands forced their claws to stay shut tight. With long handled tongs she dropped the lobster into the boiling water. When all four lobster were in the pot, she put the lid on the kettle and set the timer for 14 minutes. We had a delicious meal. I passed on the lobster and passed on the steak. That night I had a dream that white tailed deer were eating my hands. But my hands weren't flesh hands with five fingers; my hands were lobster claws. The deer were having trouble breaking the shell of my hands. I could hear crunching noises and I remember I didn't like being eaten.

Red Tide at Eastons Beach

At one of the beaches where we found the mermaid purses, we saw red water. The waves were wine colored. Red pieces of algae floated in the water and covered the sand. Where the red weed lied on the beach, little flies flew in clouds above it. We didn't walk in the red water but a few yards up the beach the water and sand were clear. A big machine went by a few yards into the water as we were walking. We could see where the machine had already combed the entire beach. Tire tracks and fluffed up sand lay in straight rows. We weren't sure what was going on but it looked like the machine scooped up the top layer of sand and some of the sand shook out the bottom. Later we asked a born and raised Newporter about it. He explained that there is a reef off shore that grows a red algae. When the wind is right, the red algae is blown toward shore. Beside the unsightly red color and unpleasant odor, certain biting fleas and chiggers live in that algae. So the city bought a very expensive machine to clean up the red algae. Now the city of Newport struggles to solve where to put all the truckloads of red algae and sand.

The Daughter of Time

My book club read "The Daughter of Time" by Josephine Tey. I read it too but it was a chore. I didn't like it. This book was touted as a mystery book for people who don't like mysteries. I don't like mysteries but I didn't like the book either. The plot involves a detective recuperating in the hospital. Forced to lie still for weeks, he sees a portrait of King Richard III. The detective thinks he is a good judge of character by looking at a person's face. Although King Richard III is believed to have killed his two nephews the detective sees an innocent face. He searches history books and by the time he has recuperated, he has King Richard III exonerated. The title of the book is from a famous quote from a play called, "The Life of Galileo" that says, "Truth is the daughter of time, not of authority."

Mermaid Purses

As we walked along the beaches in Rhode Island, we saw hard, black sharp things lying in the sand. I picked up a couple of them. They were hard like plastic and sharp enough to tear my skin. I wondered if they were part of a plant or an animal. We probably saw a hundred of them near the high tide mark on the shore. Later we went to a US Fish and Wildlife Refuge. Inside the museum was a children's table with stuff found on the beach and a book to look up what each item was. Turns out these sharp, hard plastic-like things are fondly called mermaid purses. Actually, they are an egg case from a skate, a ray, or a shark. The mermaid purses we saw are from a skate. I didn't know what a skate was so I had to look that up. Skates look like rays. I picked up the mermaid purse (egg case) again. I looked at it closely. As a mother, all I can say is, "OUCH!"

Pilgrim Hoax

While in Rhode Island, we took part of a day to drive up to Plymouth, Massachusetts and visit Plimoth Plantation. This is a self guided museum includes a reenactment of the early colonists and the Wampanoag people. We did a lot of walking. We walked through the Wampanoag village first and then the colonist area. The Wamponoag people talked in present times. The colonists talked as if it were still the late 1600's. I found the museum interesting because they were honest in describing the complex relationship between the colonists and the Wampanoag. For example, one of the Wamponoag people said, "A colonist asked if I would give up one of my children so he could give him to his brother as a gift. What kind of people are these?" The people in several Wampanoag villages were completely wiped out by the small pox brought in by the colonists. Although most of the museum was outside, one room inside was dedicated to the myth of Thanksgiving. The Pilgrims and the Native people did not have Thanksgiving that first year. Somebody made that up. As Europeans, the colonists had the custom of celebrating the fall harvest with a dinner but they did not dine with the Wampanoag. That story wasn't fabricated until the mid 1700's. ! As I read about this I felt myself getting angry. We were taught this in school. We were tested on the first Thanksgiving and it's just a story. What other stories have we been told? After the museum, we had a ticket to visit the Mayflower II, a re-creation of the English merchant ship the same size as the original Mayflower. We walked through the ship and talked with the costumed colonist actors.

Before we left we walked over to see Plimoth rock. I have to admit, I am bothered by the many spellings of Plymouth, Plimoth, Plimouth. Massachusetts must have creative spellers out there. Over the rock is a large plaque explaining that there is no evidence that the pilgrims landed on Plimoth rock. After landing on Cape Cod and finding no fresh water, they left and landed in this area. Plimoth rock is a landmark in this same area. Again, any documentation connecting the Pilgrims and Plimoth rock does not appear until the mid 1750's. Geez Louise, I traveled all this way to find out Plimoth rock and the first Thanksgiving are a hoax? !

Travel

We just returned from a trip to Rhode Island and it is good to be home. We flew out there and back. On the way out we changed planes in Milwaukee and again in Detroit; proof positive of my frugality. On our return we changed planes in Philadelphia. Airports and airline travel - yikes. I don't feel like a valued customer who just spent hundreds of dollars for a service. I feel like I am treated more like a threat. To use my ticket for which I spent a lot of money, I have to arrive 2 hours ahead of time. And don't try to park nearby to use the ticket at the airport! Get a ride or use a shuttle service. What other business does that? Then we're told to stand in line and wait. Hurry! Get in line! Wait there! Wait there for hours! I have to take off my shoes and jacket. I have to allow others to x-ray my bags and allow them to stick their hands into my luggage and rummage through my underwear. I even allow them to scan my body. Once you are on the plane you have to sit upright and belted into tiny little seats. I swear I'd have more room in a coffin than in a seat on an airplane. They offer you drinks but pour it into a small plastic cup. For the price I paid I deserve the entire can of diet cola. I know it's a 22 hour drive to the east coast because I drove it last year. With all the hassle and expense of airline travel, I'm not sure if driving might be a better choice. Once we got to Providence we were fine. We picked up our rental car (Ford Focus - ok to rent but I wouldn't buy one) and got to our hotel. Our hotel, like many of the hotels and houses in the area, had blue hydrangea plants. Blue hydrangea symbolize the beauty of the east coast. They just don't get that blue here in Minnesota. Offspring #1 met us and took us out to dinner at a local deli that serves organic food. The food was excellent and we finished it off by sharing a ginger creme brulee. We drove around town for a while and ended up at the beach. We stopped to admire a huge rainbow that began and ended in the Atlantic ocean. The pot of gold must have been in the water. As we watched we could see a second rainbow form above the first. The colors intensified and the stripes became more clear. Our maker was smiling at the three of us together again at last.

Graduate

Fair Winds and Following Seas

Here we are in the ocean state of Rhode Island attending the graduation of Offspring #1 from officer candidate school. He's in the second row on the far left. Check out the white shoes! These uniforms are awesome. I got lots of pictures because I doubt he'd wear this uniform willingly. Last night we walked on the wharf in downtown Newport. The air was calm and warm. We could hear live music playing. Some guitar player was playing "My Woman From Tokyo." The wharf was crowded with people. We were in a crowd. People stared at the handsome young man in the uniform. I wanted to say, "He's with us!" We wandered onto a dock. Yachts were tied on both sides of us. At the end of the dock a ferry boat to Jamestown parked and asked if we were going to board. We said no and watched the boat navigate away making small waves in the harbor, We picked out constellations in the sky. We had a moment to remember.

Summer

Summer is my favorite season. I'm trying to soak it up with all my senses so that I can remember what paradise felt like during the dark days of February. I stare at the puffy white clouds in the blue sky. I try to memorize the feel of the sun and a cool breeze on my bare skin. I listen to the birds chirp through the open windows. I smell the scent of the pineapple weed as I drive my motorcycle up the patch of green in the middle of the driveway. Today I stopped at the light on Foley Boulevard and 99th. I watched a starling feed a baby bird in a nest located inside the stop and go light pole. I saw an albino squirrel run across 99th, into the grass, and up a tree. By the way, for you numerologist fans, tomorrow's date is 7/8/09!

Disturbing the Swallows

I started monitoring the quality of the Rum River this spring for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. On Monday evenings, I park my car on the Pleasant Avenue bridge. First I rate the river quality on aesthetics (would I swim in it, etc). Then I throw an empty bucket tied to a rope over the railing and haul up a bucket of river water. I pour the water into a secchi tube that holds 60 centimeters of water. I see if I can distinguish the black and white pattern at the bottom of the tube. If I can't see it, I slowly let water out until I can see it and measure how deep the water is in the tube. Then I look for the screw in the bottom of the tube. If I can't see that, I slowly let water out until the screw becomes visible. I measure the temperature of the water in the bucket. And finally I take a large tape measure with a plumb bob taped to the bottom of it and measure how far down the river is from a specific spot on the bridge. While I'm doing all these things, I have drawn some attention. Several people have asked me if I needed help. I suppose they thought my car broke down and that is why I'm parked on the bridge. Several teen aged boys have asked me what I'm doing. I tell them the boring story and they bike away without asking too many questions. Once an angler in a boat said he was going to pull on that bucket to surprise me. I didn't see him because he was anchored out of my sight under the bridge. I guess I surprised him first. There is one group that becomes positively irate and agitated when I monitor the river quality. The cliff swallows fly into a rage every week, squawking and moving at me aggressively. The rope and the bucket must be threatening to them. Tonight the water was clearer than last week. Maybe the rain in the past week cleared it up.

Prissy Orange Princesses

This morning I weeded the vegetable garden. I started with the potatoes. I like to weed potatoes because they're easy. I don't have to bend over. I just pull the dirt toward the plant forming a hill. In just a couple minutes I'm done cleaning up the potato part of the garden. Tomatoes and peppers are easy to hoe as well but not quite a fun as potatoes. Green beans, bok choy, lettuce, sunflowers, and pumpkins are pretty easy too. What I don't like is weeding the carrots. Carrots are like the princesses of the garden. Carrots force me to kneel before them. You just can't use the hoe around them like the other ordinary garden vegetables. Their lacy, lime-green dainty leaves hide in the weeds so you have to pull each weed by hand. Carrots stay petite for a long time and can easily be pulled out by accident. Their bodies are as slender as a thread and cannot tolerate being disturbed. Such prissy orange princesses! I spent more time on two rows of carrots than the rest of the garden put together.

Peaceful Morning

This morning I spent a lot of time on the deck. Every time I opened the deck door, I thought of my sibling who was nice enough to put that door back on track yesterday. I read the newspaper on the deck. I hung my clothes on the wooden dryer rack on the deck. I laid on the deck swing and read my book club book for an hour or so. While relaxing on the deck I was visited by two chickadees, two goldfinch, three hummingbirds, and one affectionate Hackberry Emperor butterfly. This butterfly landed on my foot. The butterfly stayed on my foot for almost an hour, probing my skin with it's ticklish proboscis. I sat up and the butterfly stayed on my foot. I stood up with the butterfly upside down clinging to my sole. The butterfly didn't want to leave. I limped to the door on my heel so I wouldn't crush it. I finally had to coax it off with my finger. The butterfly liked me!

Chickens Moving Up In The World

Lately the chickens have been trying to sit on higher and higher perches. They sit on the air conditioner, the lawn chairs, the canoe, and the coop. Last night at 9:15 5 of the 6 chickens were sitting on top of their coop. I think they wanted to stay there all night balanced on the roof there. Offspring #2 and I went out there to convince them to go to bed inside the house. We pushed them with sticks but they clung to their lofty perch. We had to pick up a couple and put them to bed manually. Once Dwight and Angela got in the coop the rest of the chickens followed. But before we got that far, one chicken, Kelly, decided to roost on Offspring #2's shoulder. There she sat like a pirate's parrot, very content. Man, were we laughing!

The Girl Who Stopped Swimming

I started reading this book at the time Offspring #2 was reading "Watership Down." The author of "The Girl Who Stopped Swimming" referred to "Watership Down" quite often. She frequently talked about the rabbit named Cowslip from "Watership Down." Cowslip was the rabbit who lived in denial. Cowslip knew he and his fellow rabbits had better food than the other rabbit dens because they were going to be eaten by the farmer but he also didn't know. The truth was too horrible so he pushed it aside and pretended it wasn't true. Joshilyn Jackson turned his name into a verb. She'd write, "Mother is cowslipping again." meaning the mother was actively denying reality because life wasn't pretty at the moment. Denial can be a useful survival tool. I've used it myself. In this story, denial becomes dangerous to the welfare of children. "The Girl Who Stopped Swimming" is a tale about two sisters. One of the sisters uses reality as a weapon and the other one tends to cowslip like their mother. This is a good story - you might like it.

Question for a Master Naturalist

I went to visit a friend of mine in Elk River. He asked me a question noting that I was a master naturalist and might know about this. When you are a master naturalist, people tend to ask you questions. I don't claim to know much but I am interested and will share what little I do know. A naturalist isn't someone who knows everything but someone who knows more every day. His problem was with his hummingbird feeder. At night the feeder is full of nectar and in the morning it's empty. Something is sucking it dry at night but not breaking the feeder. I asked about raccoons. He said he had called the DNR and they said it probably wasn't a raccoon because a raccoon would most likely damage the feeder. He asked about bats. The six species of bats in Minnesota are all insectivorous. They eat mosquitoes, moths and beetles by catching them in their cupped tails and transferring the food to their mouths while in flight-no easy task I would say. If it's not raccoons and not bats, there can be only a couple other options. 1. His teen aged kids are jerking his chain or 2. A rare giant nocturnal hummingbird.