All Done with the Black Walnuts

If by that statement you think I meant I shucked all the walnut hulls, cured the nuts, cracked the nuts and roasted the meat, you are wrong.  If you think I meant trying to shuck the hulls, got frustrated when the hull was fused to the first dozen walnut shells, realized I could buy better tasting walnuts for $3 per pound at the grocery store and without spending hours of work, dumped the whole lot of walnuts down the side of the hill where I don't care if squirrels dig holes, then you are absolutely correct.

What Is Too Far?

As I walked through the creative arts section of the fair, I was impressed with much of what I saw. The quilts were amazing.  Wish I knew how to do that.  I enjoyed the textile arts and the paintings.  I saw the sculpture of the man's pants/outdoor grill.  The glass mosaic pieces were inspiring.  Some of the photographs were really good too.  There were many things I would consider buying and displaying in my home.  Some of the art was political.  Some politicians were mocked via art.  I saw Obama mocked once, George W mocked once,  Dick Cheney mocked once, and Michelle Bachman mocked 3 times.  I saw her mocked in sculpture, acrylic painting and seed art.  I am not a Bachman supporter.  I've even considered moving out of the sixth district because of her.  But I don't like it if she is mocked because of her gender.  I think that may be some of what is going on.  Actually she is easy to mock because she says unfortunate things and doesn't want to admit her mistakes.   I just don't want her picked on more than any man who made the same mistakes. 

Excitement in the Yard

Two exciting things happened in the yard today.  I have the day off work and was mouse and snake proofing my garage this afternoon.  At least I was attempting to critter proof the garage by sealing cracks and sweeping it clean.  I allowed the chickens to roam as long as I was outside. I went around the back of the house where the chickens were eating spilled black sunflower seeds from beneath the birdfeeder.  As I walked along, I saw Pamela sound the alarm.  She and Meredith ran for cover under the deck. Pamela could see farther around the east side of the house than I could from where I was standing.  Before the chickens could get under the deck, a big old hawk flew around the corner of the house and sailed beneath the bird feeder, right in front of me.  I could see it was a large hawk and I could see the bands of light and dark on the tail.  The red-shouldered hawk that hangs around our house also has those bands on the tail but I don't think it was the red-shouldered hawk diving for my chickens.  For one thing, this hawk was silent.  The red shouldered hawk is talking, talking, talking all the time.  Plus the red-shouldered usually eats reptiles like frogs and snakes and other riverbank critters.  I'm 70% sure this was a Cooper's hawk.  Good old Pamela was on the look out.  She has really had to step up since Meredith's incident with the fox.  Maybe we all have the potential for leadership when the chips are down.  I praised Pamela for her strong survival skills. And I told the chickens I would take on that hawk if they needed me to.  Yeah, that might have been an empty promise made in the heat of the moment.  I don't think I would really tangle with a hawk.  After measuring wingspans yesterday, I don't think I would take on a blue jay either. Blue jays have huge wings when they're really spread out.  And hawks have sharper talons.   Lets hope it never comes to that.  I don't want to fight with any bird.  The second exciting thing was a female American redstart was spotted on my deck.  I saw the yellow feathers on the sides of her tail and had to look her up in my bird guide.  This is the first time I've ever seen this bird in my yard. And she wasn't on the deck to drink water or take a bath or eat any food. She came to pull some fuzzy fibers off the cable that holds the birdfeeder.  She came to gather nesting material which leads me to think she is making a nest.  I would think it's a little late in the season for nesting making but maybe she's just redecorating.  In any case, it was great to see her.

Fair Day

Today I had a great day at the Minnesota State Fair.  Here is a photo of one of my finest moments.  It's a little dark but there I am, in a Smokey The Bear costume. I didn't put on the jeans (I already had jeans on) or the hairy feet but the top half of Smokey came almost to my knees.  I'm a little too short to play Smokey but I got to try on the costume and pose for a photo so now my life is complete.  Those guys in the DNR building were great to let me try it on.  My sister and I spent 5 hours volunteering at the MOU (Minnesota Ornithological Union) booth just outside the DNR building.  We had to go upstairs in the DNR building to sign in and that is where they keep the bear costumes.  We had fun volunteering.  The MOU booth has a spinning wheel where you can guess what bird the wheel lands on.  Kids love the spinning wheel.  They also had a wooden cut out of eagle wings (80 inches wide).  Smaller birds were marked on the wings.  People could stand and spread their arms against the board and measure if they were an eagle, turkey vulture, osprey, raven, hawk, etc.  After a while, that wooden set of wings got heavy.  Holding it down for little kids is easy but some of those guys were much taller than I am.  We had 5 men who measured the full bald eagle wingspan.  One of the eagles was a friend of mine's son who is only 16 years old.  Primary school kids were usually crows or broad winged hawks.  Older kids were ravens or great egrets.  Women were usually turkey vultures or osprey.  After a while I could guess pretty accurately which bird people would be.  We were located right against the building close to the fish pond.  I had a great day talking to people and measuring their arms. Some people wanted to be measured but didn't approach me.  I could see in their eyes they wanted to be measured.  With just a couple words of encouragement they would shed their bags and hold out their arms. Some people backed up to the board.  Others came at it from the front which put their faces really close to mine.  Golly, it was fun.  Offspring, sisters, brother-in-law, nephews, friends, and a cousin were there to keep us company.  I ate pretty healthy too - corn on the cob, a grilled cheese sandwich from the French Meadow Bakery, a bite of a strawberry scone, some kind of Egyptian dish from the Holy Land Deli with rice, noodles and lentils and finally an apple for dessert.  I had a great day at the fair.  I would definitely do it again next year.

Bird Hike at Kathio State Park

Today I went on my first MOU (MN Ornithological Union) sponsored bird hike.  Here is a photo of us walking through the woods at Kathio State Park near Mille Lacs Lake.  We also went to Father Hennepin State Park.  All in all, we saw 37 species.  Our focus was warblers.  I thought warblers were frustrating in the spring. It's worse in the fall because they hide behind the leaves.  Warblers act like they have ADHD. They never sit still. Before you can focus your binoculars, they're off to a new spot.  Here is the list of birds we saw in order: ruby throated hummingbird, American redstart, cedar waxwings, chestnut sided warbler, Tenessee warbler, yellow throated vireo, gold wing warbler, red eyes vireo, white breasted nuthatch, peewee, oriole, American Robin, crow, red breasted nuthatch (who sounds like a tin horn), black and white warbler, bluebird, goldfinch, brown creeper, common yellow throat, hairy woodpecker, Nashville warbler, black capped chickadee, yellow warbler, Blackburnian warbler, Parula warbler, golden crowned kinglet, turkey vultures (we saw a kettle of 15 vultures flying high around something that probably smelled bad), chipping sparrow, savanna sparrow, broadwinged hawk, scarlet tanager, turkeys, Wilson's warbler, Magnolia warbler, yellow throated warbler, pileated woodpeckers, downy woodpecker and cormorants.  Not too shabby for five hours of birding.  I carpooled with the leader of the hike.  It's not every day that I get to ride in a green Cadillac!  We had a lot of expert birders in this group.  They would say things such as "I saw the tail but not the head" or "He had a black cap and streaked sides" or "It was a yellow wash-not a vibrant yellow" or "He's on the left branch of that green tree over there."  I know the birds are watching us too.  What are they saying about us?  "There goes a knock kneed tan hatter," or "Look at those glass eyes," or "I see a bare legged beard face."

Could you do this?

I don't think I could.

If I Could Preserve This Day

I wish I could preserve this day.  I wish I could can it like peach jam or freeze it to take out and enjoy in late January.  I slept with the windows open and a blanket on. The dew point was low.  A cool breeze blew over me all night and I awoke to the sound of the red squirrel chattering in the oak tree. I listened to the chickens talk as I got ready for work.  The air was cool on the ride to work.  I went for a walk around the parking lot at work about noon and it was absolutely gorgeous outside.  The holding pond was like a mirror reflecting the blue sky and puffy clouds.  The air smelled sweet from the black cherries that had fallen onto the pavement and were squished by the tires. When I left work, there was only a few clouds in the azure blue sky. One was shaped like a bird flying in slow motion - I could see each flight feather separately. A group of female red winged blackbirds gathered in the grass outside Lifetime Fitness.  They flew in a unified aerial dance from one spot to another.  I took the long way home past marshes with geese and great blue heron wading around.  I passed fields yellow with goldenrod and stocked with tall milkweed plants.  The breeze was so slight the wind turbine by the high school was not turning.  As I cycled over the Rum River a few leaves floated by on top of the water.  I ate three cherry tomatoes from the plant in a pot by the garage door.  I am really gonna miss days like this when winter comes. 

Nine/Tenths

Now that I've seen it, I can't not see it.  If you look at the fraction 9/10 (just look at any gas station sign), look for a stylized wheelchair.  The round part of the nine is the human head.  Below that is the left arm.  The dividing line is the armrest of the wheelchair. The number one is the leg.  The number 0 is the back wheel.  Do you see it too?

How's Meredith?

How's Meredith?  She's doing okay.  It's been almost two weeks since the gray fox attack.  She has been confined to the coop except for an hour or so on weekends when I have the time to supervise her strolling.  She is still considered free range since she has the run of the coop any time she wants.  Meredith is not as fearless as she once was.  Pamela will come out of the coop first now and that Never used to happen.  She still has a mostly bare butt.  New feathers are starting to appear.  The new feathers looks really sharp and pokey.  I still find more loose feathers in the run every day.  The fox pulled many feathers completely out but it must have loosened others too.  She hasn't laid any eggs since the incident and that is fine.  Her body needs all her energy to heal herself.  She doesn't need to spend any calories laying eggs right now.  Right now she is enjoying some fresh water and sliced cucumber.  I know, I know.  She is spoiled.  Ok, I gave her some fresh strawberries too but they were a little past their prime. 

Gullible

You said it slowly, didn't you.

Ka Pow!

My motorcycle backfires.  Frequently.  I've driven it long enough to know when a backfire will come.  So it doesn't scare me anymore.  Every time I turn the motor off it backfires; sometimes a feminine "puff" but usually a "ka-pow."  When I decelerate from a high speed it will backfire about half the time.  Say I'm going along at 50 or 55 mph and a red light is ahead.  I let go of the throttle a little and "ka-pow!"  It sounds like a rifle shot.  Heads turn and people look for blood spurting out of someone or other evidence of a shooting.  Now, it's kinda fun to watch people react.  I saw a guy on a bike freak out as he was peacefully pedaling along Island Lake as I went up the Victoria exit ramp off Hwy. 694.  He jerked so hard I thought he might tip over.  A burly construction contractor startled as he filled his gas tank at the Superamerica on Hwy. 35 and Lake Drive.  The ka-pow sounds extra loud under a gas station canopy.  Even though there is nothing I can do to prevent the backfiring, I do feel a little guilty not only looking for but also enjoying the reactions of bystanders. 

Ride For The Wolves

After hesitating whether to go by myself, I decided to go on the motorcycle charity run, Ride For the Wolves.  We started at Running Aces - a horsetrack off Hwy. 35 and Lake Drive in Columbus.  These horses trot and pull a two wheeled buggy behind them.  Some of the horses were out practicing on the track when I arrived.  I went out to watch them go by.  The riders all said, "Hello."  I could tell the horses were looking at me because of the way they turned their heads to see beyond their blinders.  Inside the Running Aces building are huge murals.  One of the murals was a 30 foot tall Dan Patch.  I was amazed that Running Aces has such a huge building. I was reminded of Canterbury Downs, only smaller.  Among the 40 to 50 bikes that participated in this ride, I found a person I knew.  She is a birder who has led me on bird hikes at the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge. She is a very memorable person.  She brought another woman along so the three of us hung out together all day.  They belong to WOW - Women On Wheels.  And they tried to talk me into joining WOW.  If only I could get past the silly acronym, I might join because it sounds like they do a lot of fun stuff.  Riding in a group can be both safer and more dangerous.  In a group, we are more apt to be seen.  How can a car driver ignore a line of 40+ motorcycles?  On the other hand, we ride tightly together to stay in a group and that puts us at risk.  Riders feel obliged to keep with the others but they have to balance that with their own skill at taking curves.  Before our first stop at Sal's Angus Grill in Withrow, one rider took a curve too fast, hit the gravel on the side of the road, and went over a hill.  She was thrown to the ground.  The riders behind her pulled over to see how she was.  A safer option would be to keep going and let the safety people take care of her.  She was conscious and talking.  Her hip hurt so she was taken by ambulance.  Her bike was put into the support trailer.  Since I was in the group ahead of her, we had no idea what happened to the second half of us.  When the other riders came in, they looked shaken by what they had seen.  This was not a good start to the ride but it turned out to be the only accident.  Sal's has a hitching post for horses. Four horses were enjoying the shade and water available at the hitching post while their riders ate lunch.  Our next stop was at the Traprock Inn in Dresser, Wisconsin.  The people who planned this route chose remote, quiet roads in good condition.  We did a lot of turning.  I could never have found this way without consulting a map many times which is why I usually end up on busier roads.  Our third stop was at the Star Prairie Sports Bar.  We found a picnic table under a maple tree to relax.  On the way to our final stop, we went past a yard that had thrown cut grass onto the road.  The entire lane was covered in thick green grass.  I was behind my friend who had a tow package attached to her bike giving her four wheels and the width of a car.  Her four tires kicked pieces of grass into the air.  Some of the grass went up and over my windshield and got caught inside my full face helmet.  The grass circled around inside my helmet like popcorn in a popper.  One piece of grass got stuck in my eye but I was able to blink it out.  We arrived at the Wildlife Science Center about 5:45.  We had almost a six hour ride and went about 100 miles.  My only complaint is that the breaks were too long.  The route was wonderful.  I couldn't ask for nicer weather.  All the people I met were friendly and safe drivers. Most people stayed for the dinner.  Earlier I asked what they had available for vegetarians.  The answer was coleslaw and cookies so I passed on that.  I had a great day.  I think I'll do this ride again next year.

Perfect Summer Evening

This isn't a picture of us at Psycho Suzi's in NE Minneapolis, but we had just as much fun as they did.  The weather was warm and comfortable.  The drinks were fruity and came in tiki glasses.  The fountain had heads like the heads you see on Easter Island.  The pizza (artichoke, basil, tomato and mozzerella) was delicious.  The service was good. The parking was tough and it is a good thing my motorcycle can fit into small spaces.  Good food+good company=a great summer evening.



A Long Way Down

Suicide is not a laughing matter.  Yet Nick Hornby writes A Long Way Down as a dark comedy.  I wouldn't think that would work but it does.  Four people meet on a London rooftop on New Years Eve. Each has come separately to jump off the roof.  Each has their own reasons.  This group of four depressed people join together and, oddly enough, end up helping each other.  They don't jump off the roof that New Year's Eve and they tell the story of the next three months, chapter by chapter.  Maureen is the easist one to listen to.  The two men, JJ and Martin tell their stories.   But Jess, golly, if you had to imagine a character that would be hard to get along with, you probably couldn't come up with a character as annoying as Jess.  She is  unbelieveably rude.  This was kind of a nutty story but it held my attention and provoked my thinking.  I read Johnny Depp bought the movie rights to this book as soon as he read it.  I guess it would make for a dramatic movie.

Fledglings at the Bird Feeder

I think I see fledgling birds at the bird feeder.  I'm not 100% positive but I think I see birds hatched this year eating birdseed.  I think I see young cardinals, chickadees, house finches, downy woodpeckers, and hummingbirds.  One thing that makes me think I'm seeing young is that instead of my typical male and female pair at the feeder, I now have 5 or 6 cardinals feeding at the same time.   And they're not fighting each other off. The cardinals nested in the black spruce outside my bedroom window.  They were noisy in the nest.  The newer black capped chickadees have less definite lines of black and white in their feathers.  Their behavior is more playful.  They're not there just to eat and skedaddle.  The newer chickadees want to fly around joyfully first.  The new house finches aren't as graceful as their parents.  The new downy woodpeckers are followed and watched over by their parents as they chow down on the suet.  The new house wrens don't come to the feeders but I know some of them must be new because I've got about a half dozen flying around where before I had only two.  A few years ago I would have missed all these signs of life and prosperity.  I am glad my eyes are opened to the wonderful world of birds.

Garden Photos

Coleus in a pot on the wall.

I like the color of this coleus.

Finally!  I got a calla lily to bloom.  This is my fourth try.

My sister gave me these tall yellow flowers - I forgot the name of them.

The daisies and the weeds are hiding my garden wagon.

The tomato on the left is almost ready to eat.

Leopard frogs and lilies in this green pond.

Orange day lilies.

There is a bug moving pollen on this black eyed Susan.

Pumpkin blossom

There is a bee inside this pumpkin blossom.

The dang deer eat almost all my green beans - plants and all.

My blue potatoes have flowers now which indicate I could dig some up and have new blue potatoes.  I think I'll wait until they grow full size.

A low hanging black walnut branch. I really ought to trim this tree.  When these walnuts bonk you on the head when you're mowing the lawn, they hurt.

This is one exhuasted rhubarb leaf.

Cole Slaw

I picked a cabbage out of the garden this morning after mowing the lawn. So far cabbage is my best crop this year.  I am wondering why I planted six cabbages when I usually buy one a year.  Oh, well, cabbage is good for me because it has lots of Vitamin C and Vitamin A and anti-oxidants.  I shredded the cabbage and shredded a couple carrots.  I like my cole slaw shredded into very small pieces.  I put that in a bowl and sprinkled it with sugar and set it aside.  I made dressing like my Grandma taught me to make coleslaw dressing.  Put some mayonnaise in a bowl.  Add a couple slugs of vinegar.  Sprinkle in some dried dill weed, salt and pepper.  Mix together.  Add a splash or two of milk  (Grandma would have added powdered coffee creamer but I don't have any of that).  Add dressing to salad and stir to combine.  The coleslaw tasted really good.  I've got lots!

PS Chicken Update - Meredith seems fine.  The bare spot on her tail seems smaller.  I think she must be doing a comb-over.  I let both Meredith and Pamela out of the coop for the first time since the fox incident tonight.  I opened the door about 7 o'clock because I wanted to move the coop and run to a fresh spot of grass.  Both chickens were reluctant to leave.  Pamela left first.  Usually Meredith is always the first one out the door.  I stayed with them.  As I moved their coop, the chickens took a dust bath in my flower garden.  For once I didn't get mad at them for disturbing my flowers.  They were very willing to go back into the safety of the coop.

The Help (the movie)

A movie going friend of mine and I went to see "The Help" this afternoon.  After reading the book twice and leading a book club discussion on it, I knew this story forwards and backwards.  We laughed.  We cheered.  We clapped.  We want to see it again.  One of the best actresses in this movie was Ron Howard's daughter, Bryce Howard.  Here is her photo.  She looks so nice with her perfect hair and her perfect make up and her perfect dress.  She is like a candy coated mothball - evil to the core.  Her character's name is Hilly and she plays a bully. Bryce Howard makes an excellent villain.  And, oh, retribution has never been so sweet as in this show.  You will love it. 

Long and Leggy Tomato Plants

I am not having good luck with tomatoes again this year.  The plants are long and leggy.  The tomato plant in a container on my deck is about 7 feet tall.  The tomatoes grow tall but they don't produce much fruit.  I've had some cherry tomatoes.  And I have one full size tomato turning red but many vines don't have any fruit.  According to another blog I read, My Northern Garden (mynortherngarden.com), the reason the tomato plants are fruitless this year is the heavy humidity.  Tomato plants have both male and female parts on them.  Pollen usually falls from the male part onto the female part.  The high humidity has made the pollen more sticky and less likely to fall where it needs to fall.  Some gardeners shake their tomato plants to move the pollen from the antler to the stamen.  Usually the wind moves the pollen around. And we've had plenty of wind.  Darn sticky tomato pollen!  I love home grown tomatoes. And I'm not going to get very many again this year.  : (

Meredith's Terrible, Awful, No Good Day

"Squack!" says Meredith loudly in the back yard. My ears perk up. As I start to stand to go to the deck door, Meredith screams, "Squack!!!!! Bwaaaaack!!!!" She was screaming bloody murder. I throw open the deck door and start running barefoot down the steps. I see something gray and brown turn the corner of the house by the garage. It's the gray fox. I run across the grassy back yard. As I turn the corner, I can't see her. The gravel driveway hurts my tender feet. Ooooch, ouch I start to slow down. "Squack!" Meredith yells again. I see the fox at the near the end of the driveway. Meredith's calls for help speed me up. Everytime she cries I run a little faster. I am not used to running. I really didn't think I could run unless something was chasing me but Meredith's calls are inspiring. I yell, "Put down my chicken! Put it down!" "Squack" Meredith is still calling for help. As I run, my heart sinks to see big piles of orange feathers on the driveway. I run faster. I cut through the grass by the mailbox. "Squack!" Meredith calls, a little closer. As I get around the wooded part, I yell, "Put down the chicken." A car goes by on the road and I don't even look up. I am running. I step on something sharp. I come into the neighbor's yard and my new neighbor opens her front door and comes out with a little boy. The fox drops Meredith. Oh, Meredith, she's laying sprawled out on the grass, her orange wings extended and her legs crumpled beneath her. My neighbor asks, "What is it?" I explain, "This is my chicken, Meredith." I go to pick her up and Meredith gets up and walks slowly away. I don't want to chase her but I don't want her walking into the woods either. I guide her to a patch of shrubbery by my neighbor's pond. She sits down in the shrubs. I explain to the neighbor that the gray fox grabbed her. I bend over to pick up Meredith and she allows me to do that. She sits very still in my arms. I can see her tail. If you've ever purchased a whole chicken at the grocery store, you know what the tail looks like - sort of like a human nose. Meredith's tail is buck naked. She has a little blood on her hind quarter to the right of her tail. She has fox germs on her, the poor thing. I try to give her a reassuring hug yet avoid staining my shirt.  The little boy asks if this is a rooster. I say no, Meredith is a hen. The neighbor asks if we should shoot the fox. I say no, usually the chickens are safe in their coop. There is no need to shoot the fox.  We talk for a couple minutes.  I thank them for their help and take Meredith home. I have a some blood on my foot. I assumed it was chicken blood but it turns out I cut the top of my foot on a thorn or a branch or something sharp.  There are enough chicken feathers in their front yard for two whole chickens.  Meredith is totally still all the way home. I wonder if she is alive but she is holding her head up so she must be okay. I gently put her in the coop and she walks into the corner and sits down. I look around for Pamela. I hope the fox didn't double back and nab her. I see her sitting on the edge of the compost pile by the apple tree. Oddly, Pamela allows me to pick her up. Why is she so compliant all of a sudden?  Was she traumatized as well?  I walk her back and put her in the coop and tell her to take care of Meredith. I give both girls some fresh water. With the chickens safe, I go back in the house which is now full of mosquitoes because I have left the deck door open for ten minutes. Such drama and trauma - why did the fox go after Meredith? Of the two chickens, Pamela seems to be the more likely choice. She is smaller and more vulnerable. Why would an 8 to 10 pound fox choose the biggest chicken? Did the fox think the chickens were easy picking? Did the fox have a den full of kits to feed?  Or, did the fox (sing it with me) "Like big butts and I cannot lie." 

Canoeing the St. Croix

We decided to band together and rest for a while the river took us to our destination.

Here we are all done canoeing and waiting for the shuttle bus.  No one has much energy except for the shorter one in the front who still wants to hike, swim, and have a bonfire.

We had a pretty nice day for our annual canoe trip.  The weather was cool and the dew point was low.  We ran into a few seconds of rain twice on our trip but it wasn't enough to bother us.  We put in the canoes at Interstate Park near Taylors Falls.  The water was high.  Our usual lunch spot was under water. All the sand bars were under water so we had limited opportunities to get out and stretch.  The high water made for a speedy trip.  For a few minutes, the wind whipped up white caps on the river and we really had to push against it.  Lucky for us the wind calmed down and sometimes was even at our backs.  We saw two painted turtles on a log facing each other. I had read about hieroglyphics on the cliff walls past Taylors Falls. Try as I might I could not find them.  I was searching on the Wisconsin side of the river. Next year I will look on the Minnesota side.  We found a boat landing where we could get out and have some lunch.  We stopped again to rest and use the bathrooms at the park near Osceola.  As we took off again I saw several Wilderness Inquiry Voyageur canoes.  As I paddled near, I saw one of the WI guides was the same guide that I traveled in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in early July.  I said hi and she remembered my name. How bizarre to meet up again like that!  We saw eagles and vultures, goldfinches, tree swallows, a kingfisher and crows.  As we approached the railroad swing bridge we could see the osprey nest.  Just as we went under the bridge, the osprey was flying around with a big branch in it's mouth.  We turned to watch the osprey swoop and swoop around in circles until finally landing in the nest with the branch.  I find it so relaxing to be on the water.  All worries, problems and troubles fade away as we travel over the water imagining the 60 inch sturgeon that might be swimming below us.  Sooner than I thought we were at our destination of William O'Brien State Park.  One paddler wanted to have a bonfire, swim and hike.  I had brought along some kindling wood, some dryer lint, a lighter, forks, marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate.  That wood was so dry an amazing flame came up and consumed the wood in minutes.  We toasted the marshmallows and ate the s'mores.  Some of us went hiking and some of us went swimming.  We had to wait until the 5:30 shuttle bus arrived to take us back to Taylors Falls.  Then we had to drive back again to load up the canoe.  I got home too late to go to book club.  Although I was a little disappointed not to be there to discuss Gone With The Wind, I can't say I regretted this beautiful day on the river. 

Loading and Unloading

Today I had an awesome day that I like to repeat at least once every summer - canoeing down the St. Croix River from Taylors Falls. This time we went all the way to William O'Brien State Park.  More about that tomorrow.  Loading and unloading the canoe varies so much in difficulty.  On a scale of 1-4 (with 4 being the most difficult) I would rank my experiences today as (loading) 4, (unloading) 1, (loading) 1, and the final (unloading) 2.   The first loading was in the driveway.  We got the stern end of the boat on top of the stepladder and then swung the other end over the car and tried to center it while tiny ants swarmed out of the canoe up and down our arms. It took us a while to get the ratcheting straps figured out and to secure the canoe tightly. It's hard to work when I am giggling.  We did a good job.  Other than a hum that sounded like a gigantic mosquito hovering as we drove down the road, we had no problems.  Unloading at the St. Croix river was not problem.  I watched two strong nephews do all the work.  Loading the canoe at the William O'Brien state park was just as easy as the same two nephews, a sister and an offspring loaded it while I watched.  Unloading the final time back in my driveway again involved a stepladder but it went smoothly and quickly.  Now the canoe is back in the grass.  I suppose the ants are happy to see it return. 

Skunks!

Have you seen or smelled any skunks lately?  I've noticed an absence of the dreaded black and white evening strollers this summer.  I wonder what has happened to them.

PS When Offspring #2 was little, she mispronounced skunks.  If we were driving by a roadkill and she happened to smell the unmistakable odor of dead skunk, she's say, "I smell a stunk."  Normally I would correct my kids when they said something wrong but I never corrected her on that one.  What she said made total sense to me.  I thought she was precociously witty.

I Be Jammin

I canned strawberry jam this morning.  The fruit is much easier to prepare than peaches.  All I had to do is rinse them and remove the leaves and pit before mashing them into pulp.  And it's nice that the weather was cool enough to cook in comfort.  Now it is time to lay off the canning before things get out of hand.

Peaches!

I had a productive Saturday.  Got up early.  Cleaned the house.  Completed the laundry.  Saw a movie with a friend (Thumbs up for Crazy Stupid Love).  Half hour of cardio and a half hour of weight lifting.  Got groceries.  And made 14 pints of peach jam.  I love how the house smells all peachy.  The eight cups of hot peach flesh is so pretty when you cook it up; a combination of gold, orange and red.  Once it hits a rolling boil that can't be stirred away I added the sugar.  It was, I admit, an obscene amount of sugar.  Eleven cups of sugar is a lot of empty carbs.  Adding the sugar cools down the mixture and makes it much more liquid.  I think it's weird that adding a solid (like sugar) to a moist but not watery mixture makes it much more liquid.  Must be a science thing. And even though my arm was tired, I had to continue to stir and stir and stir.  Once the sugary peach mixture reached a rolling boil that could not be stirred away, I cooked it for another minute before taking it off the heat and pouring it into sterilized glass jars.  I find it very satisfying to listen to the lids pop as they seal shut; the jars make a peachy sound.

Walnut Harvesting Time

2009 was the first year I used my walnuts from the black walnut tree near my front door. In 2010 I had only a handful of walnuts.  This year is another bountiful year.  Every day dozens of ripe green walnuts fall from the tree and lie there in the grass like green tennis balls slightly out of shape.  The walnuts are coming down so thick I want to cover my head when I walk out the front door because they've come too close to bonking me on my noggin.  I can hear them striking the garage roof at night when I am trying to get to sleep.  Their smell is incredible; a good incredible.  If body spray came in black walnut scent I would buy it.  The smell is like smoky lime and basil with just a hint of Irish Spring.  So far this year I have collected nearly a five gallon bucketful of walnuts.  I keep the bucket outside because I am sure there are bugs in the husks of some of these walnuts.  If a squirrel ever comes close enough to look inside the bucket it will think it has hit the jackpot. As easy as it is to pick up these good smelling green orbs, I need to remember they are A LOT OF WORK.  My hands will turn black when I hull the walnuts even when I wear two pair of latex gloves.  Then I have to soak them and cure them.  Shelling each walnut takes a minimum of five hammer blows.  Then I have to separate the walnut meat from the broken shells.  Then the walnuts are baked.  So although I think it is easy now, every walnut I pick up means more work in the future.

The Red Garden

Alice Hoffman wrote The Red Garden, a novel based on a series of loosely connected stories centered in Blackwell, Massachusetts.  The stories start in the 1600's and end in the late 1900's.  The same house and garden are mentioned in many of the chapters.  Other common themes are the color red, eels in the Eel River, apples, bears and love (or lack of love).  I thought this was a very creative way to tell a story. I can only imagine some of the drama that has happened on the property where I live.  I doubt stories can go back as far as the 1600's but still, truth is often stranger than fiction and I am sure a lot of life has been lived here.  I like Hoffman's style as a writer.  True, she does mix in a little bit of magic which is not my favorite theme but she doesn't over power us with the magical stuff.  She writes clean and succinct lines that leaves us to our own imaginations.  The people she writes about seem real and complicated.  None of them are all good or all bad.  The one thing the Hoffman characters have in common is that they are fascinating. 

Mississippi Challenge 2011 Day Two

You can barely see the Minneapolis skyline in the distance.

Waiting in the lock.  It's getting hot in here.

I loved my orange kayak (that I borrowed).

Our Mascot was a beany baby ass.

 The second day of the paddle was a little more difficult for me probably because I didn't sleep well.  I was up at 5.  We packed up the soggy tent and the soggy stuff inside the tent.  We had a quick breakfast and headed off onto the river.  Even at 8 a.m. it was hot.  Some of the water was green with clumps of suds standing on the water.  I tried to break up the suds with my kayak.  We saw several dead carp floating.  We came upon another floating creature but this one had fur and a tail and we didn't look much closer at it.  As I paddled under the 35E bridge in St. Paul, I stayed to the side so I could be in the shade and remove my wide brimmed hat.  This hat kept the sun off my face but it was very hot and sometimes it obstructed my view.  There I was, quietly paddling along when a fish jumped into my kayak and landed in my hat.  I screamed.  I'm not afraid of fish but this one startled me.  This fish was actually a minnow and about an inch long.  I put it back.  Poor thing, something must have been chasing it.  We had a rest stop at Harriet Island.  Another paddler was walking beside us and tripped on a 2x4 sticking out of the ground and I'm pretty sure he broke his toe.  He thought he broke his toe.  I heard a snap.  I told him, "Go ahead and swear - it will relieve the pain."  He didn't swear.  I would have.  I doubt he finished the trip poor guy.  We paddled through the rest of St. Paul.  As I went under the Robert Street bridge there were a lot of barges on the sides.  The currents got all strange.  My boat turned sideways with no warning and nothing I could do to stop it. After we got out of downtown the current was more predictable.  The water moved fast and helped us on our way.  I went past a kayak called a Hobie.  This kayak can be paddled or propelled by bicycle type foot pedals.  I tried to pull a "Tom Sawyer" on the owner of the Hobie.  I said, "If you want to trade for a while and paddle my kayak, I'll let you.  This one is pretty nice."  She laughed and said she knows what it is like because her daughter has one.  I replied, "Well, ok, if you are sure.  You are missing out on a good opportunity."  Our lunch break wasn't until after we passed under the 494 bridge.  It felt good to stand up and move around and get some food.  We had submarine sandwiches, organic fruit (plums and nectarines and watermelon) and cookies.  I filled up my water bottle several times.  We were back on the water and moving past Newport and St. Paul Park.  The refinery has oddly shaped towers with pipes that move diagonally around the smokestacks and make it look like something out of a Dr. Suess book.  Eagles and vultures soared overhead.  A train moved on the right side of the river.  We stopped at Lions Park in Cottage Grove.  Only five more miles to go.  I was getting tired by now and starting to slow down.  I was in no hurry.  Part of my slowing down was exhaustion but part of it was trying to enjoy this river experience and not rush through it too fast.  At the end we were greeted with cheers and applause and popsicles.  As I helped lift the kayak onto the vehicle I was overcome by my own smell.  P U!  I smelled terrible.  I had used deodorant that morning but I guess nothing can work when you get so hot the sweat runs into your eyes and mouth.  I was  hot. I was sweaty.  I was tired.  I had mud on my legs and sand between my toes.  I stopped at a gas station to buy a diet Pepsi and was a little embarrassed by my appearance until I saw another paddler in there.  I got in line behind him.  Put together, I didn't think I looked as bad.  I had a great time on this Mississippi River Challenge.  I am not ruling out doing it again next year.

We cram in together inside the locks.

 Sunset view from the tower at Fort Snelling.  A storm was approaching.

We're almost done.  This is our last rest break at Lion's Park in Cottage Grove.

We are hot and sweaty!

I Liked The Trees Forming a Canopy Over My Road But This is Ridiculous

We must have had a little storm today because a tree has lowered itself partway onto the road.

Mississippi Challenge 2011

This year I was lucky enough to do the Mississippi Challenge again. This challenge is designed to raise money for the "Friends of the Mississippi" non-profit whose goal is to educate, enhance, and protect the Mississippi River here in Minnesota.  On Friday night we dropped off our luggage and kayaks at the Coon Rapids dam.  We turned in our pledges ($250 minimum) and received our t-shirts.  On Saturday morning, I was up at 5:30 so I could get ready, commute to Shoreview, and carpool to a gravel business on Grey Cloud Island where my sibling would leave her vehicle. We boarded a school bus back to Coon Rapids.  By 9 a.m. I already felt like I had been on a long journey.  We chose a beany baby donkey as our mascot and he (she?) was attached via bungee cord to my sibling's green kayak. Our departure from the dam was delayed but by 9:30 we were on the road river.  This year I borrowed my sibling's kayak.  I paddled a Old Towne Otter XT.  I loved this little kayak. Not only was it orange (my favorite color) but the seat and back were most comfortable.  Even after 44 miles of paddling, I was still comfortable in the seat.  I set the foot rests to fit my legs just right.  We paddled downstream.  Our first rest stop was at Islands of Peace park in Fridley-river left.  The river is about 6 feet higher than it was at this time last year.  That means fewer beaches and more difficulty getting in and out.  We saw osprey and eagles, vultures and crows, chickadees and blue jays, robins and goldfinches.  We were expecting to see the wakeboarding competitors in Minneapolis like we saw last year but they must have been on a lunch break when we went through.  The higher water made for a faster trip for us.  Lunch was near Bassett Creek (river right) and we had Chipotle (yum!).  After lunch we headed into the inner city.  The air was muggy and the heat was hot. My sun hat and a long-sleeved shirt is a requirement for sun-sensitive me but, holy cow, it was hot. We went through the first lock and dam and I was glad we could paddle right in without having to wait in line.  By the time the water level had lowered enough for us to get out of the lock, it was like an oven in that deep cement box.  Not a single breeze could reach us down there.  So many kayaks and canoes were crammed together we were like a jig saw puzzle in there.  The boats nearest the lock doors had to go out first so the rest of us could disentangle ourselves.  Here is when canoer's have the advantage.  They can paddle when things are tight while us kayakers have to wait because our paddles are so much wider.  Five minutes later we were at the second lock.  This gives us a nice chance to rest our arms, readjust our foot rests, apply more sunscreen and drink water without slowing down.  The water was choppy after the second lock and our kayaks got spun around as if an invisible hand reached up from below and turned us sideways. After a long while the currents straighted out again for the most part and we could make better progress with fewer collisions.  The next rest stop was at the Minneapolis rowing club.  We chose to rest up while still in our kayaks by choosing a shady spot at the side of the river.  This is where we finally met up with our other fellow kayaker. We were wondering where she had gone to. I was happy to start seeing airplanes close overhead because that meant we were getting close to our destination.  We kayaked to Fort Snelling.  Whew!  Our first day of travel was over except for walking up a mile uphill to the fort.  We found our luggage and set up our tents.  I went to the ladies room and washed up in the sink as best I could. Everything in the fort is old.  The gates are old.  The walls are old. The buildings are old. And they have no showers. But in the bathrooms they have automatic sensors on the toilets and the sinks which is strangely modern. I was happy to use the running water.  They treated us with root beer floats and a delicious dinner of grilled burgers and hot dogs and salads.  The food they serve us on this trip is delicious and satisfying; most of it is organic.  I can't remember the name of the band that played in the evening but they were really good. We walked up to the tower on the fort to watch the sunset.  Clouds obscured most of our view.  We tried to go to bed when it got dark but the heat and humidity were very oppressive. We could see lightening in the distance.  Suddenly the air temperature dropped quite a bit but before we could really enjoy that and get some sleep, a storm blew in.  We heard a tornado siren.  We heard the two little girls in the tent next to us ask, "Daddy, what is that noise?"  Daddy lies and says it is a 9 o'clock whistle.  "Daddy, why haven't we ever heard it before?"  Then the wind came and attacked our tent.  The wind pushed from all four directions.  Sometimes the wind blew from two directions at once.  Our tent was only a few feet from a twelve foot tall, two foot thick wall.  You wouldn't think it could get that windy next to a large wall.  The scariest times for me is when the wind seemed to come up from the ground and try to pull us up into the air.  The rain flap on the tent stretched so high above the roof of the tent I thought we were going to loose it entirely.  I am sure the elastic cords that held it to the stakes were stretched to the maximum length.  The wind blew and blew and blew and blew.  Lightening illuminated just how much our tent was being knocked around.  I held my hand to two sides of tent as if that would help at all (it didn't).  At the very worst of it, we heard the two little girls scream in terror, "Daddy!  Daddy!  Our tent is blowing over!  Daddy!  Daddy Daddy Daddy!"  They were terrified.  Their Daddy calmed them down and restaked their tent.  He offered reassurance.  Then the storm quit. The wind stopped blowing and the rain fell more gently.  If the girl's screaming ended the storm, why the heck didn't they start screaming earlier?  I could feel that some water got into my tent.  It probably didn't help that I touched the sides during the storm.  I was too tired to care.  Later I was awoken by some miserable pain.  This pain was not my usual back pain and not a headache.  This was a double dose of knee pain.  My knees were killing me.  I've never had such knee pain before. I think I readjusted my foot pegs too far away.  My legs were totally extended. When I paddle with the right side of the paddle in the water, for example, I pull with my right arm, and push with my left arm and left leg.  Vice versa for the other side.  I think I was pushing hard with my knee too straight when it should have been slightly flexed.  I tried to ignore it but I couldn't.  I had some aleve and my water bottle in the tent with me.  Have you ever tried to line up the little arrows on a child-proof container in the dark?  It's not an easy task but eventually I got the bottle open.  I wasn't getting a good night's sleep on this night.  Stay tuned for the second day of our journey.