Happy Blogaversary!

The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy

I read The Pilgrimage of Harold Frye by Rachel Joyce and I loved it.  For several months people in my book club have been offering the companion to that book, The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy for us to read but the club never chooses it. I thought I would read it anyway since so many people in club said it was an excellent book.  Boy,howdy, am I glad I did because I loved this book.  Queenie is the person to whom Harold Frye ;made his pilgrimage.  Now we know why he walked across Britain to see her.  I loved this story and I resolve to seek out  more books by Rachel Joyce.

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream For Ice _____

Today at work a coworker talked about being comforted by a neighbor.  The neighbor brought some ice cream that she liked and put it in her freezer. The kind of ice cream she likes is hard to find.  She likes black licorice ice cream.  As soon as she said that my mind traveled back in time (much like Dr. Who in Tardis) and suddenly I am in my aunt and uncle's ice cream shop in Alexandria.  This ice cream shop had 29 flavors.  I am standing there in a line with my father and two younger siblings.  I am a pre-teen. My aunt asks us if we want some ice cream. We all want ice cream.  She offers us a free ice cream cone.  This aunt is not particularly generous but free ice cream is free ice cream.  She hands me my ice cream cone.  She had 29 flavors to choose from. She did not ask our preference. She hands over 4 ice cream cones and the ice cream is black.  Black.  Ice.  Cream.  I look at it in wonder.  I lick the black ice cream cone. The flavor is not what I was used to.  I was used to vanilla and strawberry and chocolate ice cream. The ice cream is sweet but it tastes terrible. I know better than to complain. We choke down our ice cream cones with fake smiles.  We leave the shop. My father asks how the ice cream tasted. We tell him it was terrible.  He explains his sister needs to get rid of it because it is no doubt not a big seller.  My friend at work likes black licorice ice cream so that proves two things: there is no accounting for taste and there is someone for everyone.

Half-Pint Has Alopecia!

Here is a picture of Half-Pint right after the water dish got spilled this morning. She is the chicken on the left. See her receding feather line?  The pattern of baldness is going farther and farther as time progresses.Maybe I should start knitting her a cap for the winter now.

Here is Half-Pint on the left watching her sister, Heckyl (or Jeckyl) tip over the water dish in which floats an ice cube full of corn kernels.

Eat, Drink and Remarry

I have two words to say about this book by Margo Howard: don't bother.

Narwhale Sighting

I signed up to volunteer at the parade in Minneapolis today.  I love to wave at people so being a marshal in a parade sounded like a good idea. I was supposed to be there at 8 a.m.  I finally found the booth at 9 a.m. The parade started at 11 so I took a very nice van ride to the beginning of the parade. From there I had to walk 4 blocks to the corner of Third Street and Third Avenue.  So there I was on the corner of Third and Third.  Guess how long I had to wait until the parade actually did start?  Three hours. I sincerely think the concrete sidewalk on the corner of Third and Third is harder than any other concrete I sat upon. Eventually we did start moving.  I chose to situate myself between the women's rollerskating team and the women's rugby team.  I was surrounded by muscular woman.  I had a great time with them. I cheered. I clapped. I danced to the music. I waved. I made sure the 69 Camaro convertible car got to stay with the group as we proceeded down Hennepin Avenue toward Loring Park.  At one point I got concerned because a little boy ran out of the crowd toward the Camaro. The boy gave a sticker to the driver of the Camaro.  The driver looked at me and raised his eyes.  I looked at him and shrugged my shoulders. I was reminded of the first time I took Offspring #1 trick or treating.  I explained the tradition and put a couple pieces of candy in his plastic pumpkin as a demonstration.  We went to the first door. He rang the bell. They opened the door.  He said "Trick or treat!" The person at the door held out a bowl of candy. Offspring #1 took the candy out of his pumpkin and put it into the bowl. I guess I didn't explain it clearly enough to the little tyke. I had a terrific time at the Pride parade.  I was glad I brought a power bar along because my free lunch was three hours later than I expected. I would definitely sign up for this event again because the people at the parade were so friendly and joyful.  Plus I finally got to see a narwhale!

Frogging

Even though the DNR decided not to support the frog and toad survey this year we decided we had to go and check our route in Kannabec County to hear what we could hear. We could hear green frogs and a tree frog and red winged blackbirds and veerys and dogs barking and cows mooing and also some fireworks blasting off in the distance.

We saw at least 40 deer.  This gangling deer ran ahead of us and kept looking back to see if we were still coming.  This deer is on Teal Road (just about the infamous place where I got my car stuck in a frost boil for several hours) and had the gait of a young colt.

Friday night was a  lovely night to be out exploring swamps!

Noises at Night

On both Tuesday and Wednesday morning I was awakened by strange sounds coming in the window. I heard a grunt or a bark or a short moan. I heard it again and again and again.  Sometimes the noise seemed to come in the north window and sometimes it came in the east window. Sometimes the noise sounded close like right outside the window and sometimes it sounded like it was coming from the street. Whatever was making the noise was moving around but I did not hear the sound of it moving. So was it a bird?  Was it flying from place to place? To hear it once or twice isn't so bad but by the 15th time the sound is repeated the hair starts raising on the back of my neck. This isn't a cat. The chickens are quiet so it's not a fox. Each sound it makes is about 3 seconds long. Some of the groan/barks have more emphasis than others.  I suspect rabies. I lie in bed with my eyes wide open glad to know my doors are locked.  Eventually I hear it move farther and farther away and then the noise is gone. I text a neighbor asking if they heard anything. They didn't hear anything but they have heard a male deer snorting.  I too have heard a male deer snorting but I thought it was a sneeze.  I thought the deer had allergies. Last night I didn't hear the noise at all and I am glad because this is how I pictured it in my head.

Solstice

Rhubarb!!

I signed up for a third year of a CSA (consumer supported agriculture). I choose a new farmer each year. I was satisfied with both my previous farmers but I just wanted to see the differences between farmers. This time I pick up my food in Blaine, close to work, on my way home on Monday nights. Last years experience at the Nowthen Farmer Market was just too tempting for me. Now I just go to a house and pick up my box of food at the side of the house. On Monday I got kale, spinach, two  heads of lettuce, chives, strawberries and (be still my heart) rhubarb. I had to transplant my own rhubarb to a better spot so I could not harvest it this year.  I have had this rhubarb plant since 1982. I just keep transplanting it house to house.  Every year I make a very filling dessert called Yorkshire rhubarb.  I figure I have all  year to work off those extra calories. So I have been yearning for rhubarb. I almost bought some from a store but I thought I would wait until my CSA came. I almost wept in joy when I read the list of what I would be getting. On Monday I brought my CSA food home and promptly turned the rhubarb into Yorkshire rhubarb. It. Was. Delicious. Without rhubarb,my summer would be incomplete.

LaRose

I just happened to stroll past this book in the library and I snatched it up. Any new book by Louise Erdrich is a book I will pick up. This one was even better because it was an audio book read by Louise.  I was not disappointed. I enjoyed every single chapter.  LaRose is the name of a family member throughout the generations. The first LaRose was a woman and the last LaRose is a boy. The story is fascinating all the way through. I highly recommend this book.

The Best American Science and Nature Writing

I got distracted at the library by a display of all the librarian's favorite books set upright on three shelves. I grabbed this one by Hope Jahren.  Sometimes I need short stories instead of longer ones. To my surprise, I liked this book. Some chapters were difficult to read but most of them were palatable.  The topics were science and nature but also scientists and naturalists.  The people who work in these fields are very interesting. This is a book well worth my time.

Jay Cooke revisited

Here is a photo of that nest where the grouse flew up and nearly slapped my face.  A dozen eggs!

Here is one of the 20 to 25 yellow lady slipper flowers blooming on the edge of a forest.

Oh Pioneers

My book club read Willa Cather's, Oh Pioneers this month.  I have read this and other Willa Cather novels before.  I enjoy her writing because it is so simple and descriptive.  The sandy hills of Nebraska would not make the ideal cropland for pioneers.  The people had to learn from their mistakes and adapt their knowledge to the situation at hand.  Not everyone can do that well. Some people cling to old practices because they have "always done it this way." I think Willa's point is we sometimes have to make bold choices in order to succeed in a tough environment.

Who Pays The Taxes Around Here?

Today at lunch we discussed the story in the newspaper about a deer that killed a pet poodle dog by stomping on the head of the dog. Some people thought the dog owner was lacking in sensibility and others didn't. I forgot all about that story until I got home. I put fresh bedding in the chicken coop.  I gave them water because they had tipped over the water bowl (again). I noticed their food was low so I took the feeder to fill it up.  When I returned I saw a beautiful deer standing next to the coop eating grass. I stopped to admire it. It stopped to stare at me. It blinked it's beautiful dark eyes at me and stomped it's foot while still chewing the grass.  I saw it had two knobs on it's head so it must be a young buck. The knobs were about an inch high. The buck was a beautiful shade of red and the coat looked very handsome. The buck stomped his foot at me again. I said quietly, "I live here." The deer stomped. I said, "I pay the mortgage." The deer looked at me blankly for a few seconds and stomped again. I said, "Yeah, that is right. I pay the mortgage and the taxes on this place.  Do you pay any taxes or mortgage?" At that the buck decided it was time to find another spot and he slowly ambled away south into the woods that form the deer highway. The deer didn't hurry.  I guess he wasn't afraid of me. I wasn't afraid of him either but if he's willing to kick in a little on the taxes I would let him stay. For all I know he was born in this yard.

Commuting

On Tuesday I drove my car to work. As I merged right from east bound Highway 10 across the two lanes where traffic comes in from Brooklyn Park the coast was clear. Twenty seconds later all four lanes had cars riding sensibly side by side. In my rearview mirror I see a pick up come barreling up from behind.  The pick up moved into my lane.  I have a hatch back so I get nervous when I get tailgated. The pick up swerved onto the shoulder and passed me going about 80 miles per hour as I clung white knuckled onto the steering wheel screaming softly as adrenaline flooded my system. Once past me the pickup merged left across four lanes into the inside lane.  What. The.  Heck? Today I drove to work on my motorcycle.  As I drove south on Highway 47 the sun came from the east making my shadow look very impressive.  I looked at my shadow and gave it a cool nod.  Later, as I stopped next to a 14 wheeler at a red light, I admired my reflection in the chrome on the hub caps. One would think driving a car would be less stressful than driving a motorcycle but this week proved that is not always the case.

Jay Cook

This last weekend I went to Jay Cook with a group of people. Unlike bird watchers or wild flower lovers, these were herpers.  They weren't looking up in the sky or at the plants and trees. They were looking under rocks, in ponds, and under rotten logs.  They wanted to see frogs, turtles, salamanders, and turtles.  I enjoyed their company but I did find it disconcerting to be walking along a trail in the park and be startled by something off to the side of the path which turned out to be a man turning over a rotten log. My personal goal was not to scream.  I like frogs and salamanders and turtles and snakes. But when I see a snake I involuntarily utter screams.  And I would never pick up a snake. I'll pick up other reptiles but not a snake.  Not yet, anyway.That may change over time.  Anyway, I failed in my goal not to scream. We were walking together, off the trail, looking for reptiles. The group dispersed and all of us got lost.  I am comfortable being lost with a group.  People were calling each other on their cell phones and blowing whistles to no avail. The woods are thick up there in Carlton, Minnesota. I was with a group of about 12 and we were wandering through the brush. The alder was thick and I was careful not to fall down. I was the fourth person to pass a white cedar tree when something flew up at my face. I screamed. I mean, if something flies at your face, a scream does seem to be an appropriate response, does it not? Then I realized it was a grouse. Then I laughed nervously as the adrenaline continued to flood my body. My eye caught sight of a nest. There, at the base of the cedar tree, was a round nest with 12 cream colored eggs.  I called everyone over to see.  We all took photos and then walked away so the grouse could get back to nest in peace. Holy cow, that was an experience I will always remember. All in all I hiked a good 5 miles wearing rubber boots. No one remained lost over night.  I met many interesting people of all ages.  In the group were a passel of children. The children were taken out to wade in ponds with dip nets. They found frogs and tadpoles. They found larva for predacious water beetles. One kid found a leech and the adult praised her.  I witnessed multiple really excellent child/adult interactions.  While some of the group stood in the leech infested pond I stood on the path watching. One young girl got tired so she sat down. You will never guess what she found on the paved trail.  She found porcupine quills. Evidently a porcupine strolled down this path and shook off 40-50 quills.  I found some too. I enjoyed my time with the herpers. Maybe I will join them again one day.

The new bridge

Lindberg

Trillium in bloom all around our campsite. My tent is orange.

Our last state park on our 12 parks in 9 day journey was Charles Lindberg state park. We chose this one because it was on our way home and because it had an opening on Memorial Day weekend. We had to drive from Itasca through the Finnish towns of Menaga and Sebeka to get there.  We arrived about 6 p.m.  We talked to the ranger.  He had worked there 20 years. He said they used to have 7 staff at this state park and now they have 2 staff.  The place is run down.  One shower didn't work. The tenant house on the property got a hole in the roof a couple years. The hole hasn't been repaired and now we saw four trees were growing on the roof.  I believe that house is beyond repair now. We drove to our campsite which was the last one unoccupied.  As we got near site 22 we saw a group of kids in the road. We approached slowly. Four of the kids were less then five years old and on little bicycles.  Two bikes had training wheels and two bikes did not have training wheels. The children moved aside. That is when we saw a baby in the road. The baby was about a year old and had a blue pacifier in it's mouth.  The baby was kneeling on the campground road looking at us. We were flabbergasted.  We didn't know what to do. The other kids just stood there with their bikes looking at us. My companion moved her car a foot forward. I just couldn't believe it that minutes would go by and no parent would come to the rescue of this child.  Who was this child? Was it Sweet Pea?  Would Olive Oyl and Popeye coming running up to save it? When the baby saw our car move it raised it's left arm and put out the palm toward us as if to beckon us to stop.  We looked at this baby looking at us and we giggled.  After another 45 seconds a man did come running. He scooped up the child and moved it to safety. We proceeded to our camp site to pitch our tents.  Later, as we were having our evening meal, we saw the baby again. We learned the baby's name was Moira. She was on her way to get cleaned up. The parents who were taking her to get cleaned up were not the person who scooped her up from the road.  What a strange event.  After so many days camping by ourselves with very few other campers, this was an adjustment for us.  Kids rode their little bikes up and down the road by our campsite. I could just tell they were having a really great time.  Great memories were happening all around us. 

Bemidji/LaSalle/Itasca

When I see things as brilliant as this stemless lady slipper, I wonder at the creativity of our creator(s).

I love, love, love this spot - the headwaters of the Mississippi River.  I came here as a kid and walked across those rocks.

On our camping trip this day (a Sunday) we visited three parks that were really close to each other and on our way home from the northwestern quarter of the state.  Bemidji was first.  We could see the landscape change as we drove there.  By the way, when you drive through Thief River Falls which is a very attractive little city, you will learn that the name of the high school team is the Prowlers.  Seriously? Does that not sound a little stalkery to you?  I know a guy who went to high school in that town. When I saw him I asked him if he was a Prowler.  He admitted he was. He grew up in the area so he never thought anything about the name of his school team.  I guess Prowlers does sound better than burglars or robbers or even the breakers and enterers. When we got to Bemidji about 9:30 I learned there was a ranger led hike on the bog boardwalk at 10. I hurried to the bog boardwalk.  I forgot what a long walk it was to the bog.  I actually have to cross a road and hike another 15 minutes before I got there. It was 10:30 when I got there and the ranger was at the end of the board walk.  I asked him if he could start all over.  He laughed. He did point out a stemless lady slipper flowering which was very nice of him because I missed it completely. People steal those flowers so I felt lucky he showed it to me. It has a stem.  I don't know why it's called stemless but the flower is 3 to 4 inches long and very pretty.  I hiked back to the car where my companion was looking for the geocache. She happened to leave the car door open so I opened it only to hear my cell phone ringing. Offspring #1 was calling with Grandgirl #2.  Grandgirl #2 was fussy and making repetitive complaints so I mimicked her sounds and she heard that and she stopped making them.  We talked for a while.  When my companion returned we went to LaSalle park.  This one is actually a recreational area but I don't get the difference between state parks and recreational areas.  La Salle Recreational Area looked like a state park with camping spaces, showers, fences, outhouses, sign posts and trails.  My companion looked for the geocache there while I explored along the lake. I saw hundreds of yellow swallowtail butterflies. Some kids were swimming next to the dock in the lake and they remarked on the hundreds of yellow butterflies swarming around me. By the way, the sign said this lake is the deepest enclosed lake in the state.  Who knew? At the sides of the lake we saw steep hills.  Many times steep hills next to a lake continue downward under the water. We ate our lunch at a brand new picnic shelter. This shelter had handicapped accessible picnic tables. It also had a shelf with enough space and plug ins for probably 30 slow cookers.  The barn swallows nested above us.  After lunch we headed to Itasca State Park. This is one of my favorite state parks. I loved coming here as a kid and I love coming here as an adult. This park,unlike some smaller parks we had visited, had plenty of staff.  In fact, they had "help wanted" signs posted all over. I  think it would be fun to work at Itasca for the summer.  I could rent out bikes, sell tickets, sell ice cream or answer questions. My companion thought it would be a fun thing to do also. Then I remembered I already had a paying job.  I didn't see any lady slippers in bloom here this time but I have seen them blooming at Itasca before and I hope to see it again some day.  My next blog will be on our last state park of this trip.

A Separate Peace

In this book set in a private boy's school on the east coast before world war two, John Knowles writes about the friendship between a boy named Gene and another boy named Phineas. As you can guess by the book cover, one of them falls out of a high tree. I won't tell you which one fell. The friendship between athletic, casual Phineas and studious, introverted Gene is compelling.  I read the book with thorough interest until the very end. If you want to read a good, short book I would recommend reading A Separate Peace.

Red River

When we traveled to the East Grand Forks area to visit the Red River park, the fact that the water was flowing north confused my brain. All this water was going to end up in Canada where the polar bears frolic?  Wow. I know the Mississippi flows in all directions including north, south, east and west. This park is strange because each campsite is on green grass punctuated by nursery shrubs such as white lilac in beautiful and fragrant bloom.  This was a neighborhood in East Grand Forks.  After the flood the people had to move out because the city decided this was now a flood zone. So you could, as a former resident, come here to camp in your very own yard!  How strange would that be?  The list of all the former residents in this neighborhood is posted on a sign.  Most of the residents had single family homes but there was a apartment building and a care facility there too. We hiked around the path but it was strange because we felt like we were in a city. We were in a city. We hiked around the shore and through the levee area.  The levee is a big wall where it looks like heavy equipment would add a section to put over the road the next time the water gets high.  I would not like to own a home right next to the levee.  The day we were there was very warm. We asked the ranger what else there was to see around here. He suggested we go into North Dakota and visit the historical museum.  So did what he suggested and were pleasantly surprised.  For only five dollars we got a 2 hour guided tour of the museum from a young and enthusiastic employee.  We had a great time learning about the area and frankly, being in air conditioning felt good for an hour or so.  One of the strangest things we saw was a Lustron home.  This pre-made home is manufactured almost completely with steel. The roof, walls, floors, cupboard doors, closet doors and shelves are steel.  The outside is covered with porcelain enamel. The Lustron homes came in aqua, pink, yellow, tan and grey. This one was in gray. I would have chosen aqua myself.  I was flabbergasted by this great idea.  I think she said the owner of the Lustron company was Swedish. That means these homes are like something I could buy from Ikea?  She said originally the forced air heat came from the ceiling.  When they had this one restored after the flood they put in baseboard heat.  She talked to a man who grew up in one of these homes and he said the house was warm enough but his feet were always cold. Our museum guide said there are 5 other Lustron homes within 200 miles of Grand Forks but she didn't know exactly where they were. I would love to see another one some day.

The Fox Returns

This morning I was awake but not out of bed yet.  I listened to the house wren talking incessantly.  Turkeys were gobbling away. The cardinals called a few times.  The black capped chickadees are much quieter these days. All of a sudden I heard the familiar sound of chicken panic. Oh, snap! The red fox has returned. The last time it came around here was July 3,2017.  I yell out of my bedroom window.  The fox was looking at the chickens and now it looks up at me.  But it doesn't move away. I tell the fox, "I can still see you.  Don't make me come out there."  The fox slinks off but I know it isn't going too far away. Eleven months of no fox and today, this morning, it has returned.  Just yesterday I moved the chicken coop to a fresh spot of prairie. The chickens wanted to get out and walk around but I didn't let them.  I guess I knew the fox must be close.  Lucky for me I got a bottle of wolf pee and some sponges. I can scare that fox away for another eleven months I hope.  I went out there to check out the situation. While I was there I pulled up some woodbine vines.  I heard a deer sneeze.  The deer got up and walked down the hill. The deer sneezed seven more times while standing on the road at the bottom of the hill. I think it was a sneeze.  Air was being forced out through the nose and mouth. Maybe it was huffing at me. Can deer have allergies? I walked over to where the deer was hoping to see a fawn lying there but I could not find one. Many things are happening in this yard at 5:45 a.m.!

Old Mill

We got to Old Mill state park after a long day of hiking and traveling.  This campsite was right by the showers and bathrooms.  Frankly, after quite a few nights of using an outhouse, this bathhouse was lovely.  Running water and soap do not seem that important until you don't have them for a few days.  Each outhouse had a dispenser of cleaning fluid for our hands but nothing beats soap and water. We set up our tents.  I am getting really efficient in putting up my tent now. In the evening, after dinner, I walk to the nearby bridge to see the sights. I step up on the lower board so I can see over the top and look down at the water flowing by.  I stand there for a long time. Then I cross the road and look at the other side of the bridge. I don't see any fish but the water is pretty clear.  I am staring without really seeing when a beaver swims up the left side of the river. This is a chubby full grown beaver. The beaver stops, balances itself with the feet in the water, reaches up the bank, grabs a 24 inch willow tree. breaks it off, and eats the leaves off it.  The beaver uses both hands to hold the tree horizontal and move the stem from left to right.  I can actually hear it chewing.  I go and get my companion so she can see this too.  By the time we get back the beaver is on the other side of the bridge. My companion films the beaver as it eats little tree after tree after tree.  Sometimes the beaver appears to be looking me right in the eye while chomping loudly on the willow.  My companion goes back to the campsite but I stay because I am fascinated.  A woman walks by. I point out the beaver having a snack.  She looks for a minute and then moves on. I continue to watch. Next to the water there is a sandy slope. As the slope continues up a meter or so there is grass and more willow saplings.  The beaver climbs over the sand and into the grassy area to eat more willow. I am overhead looking down at the beaver and I can see the beaver's spinal cord continues all the way down the center of the tail.  The beaver turns sideways to get another sapling.  As the beaver extends it's left paw to reach for another tree gravity works against it. The beaver starts to slide sideways down the grassy slope.  To my astonishment the beaver looses all control, slides to the end of the grass, rolls sideways twice over the sand and flops clumsily into the water.  The beaver rights itself, shakes it's head, and swims a couple yards upstream.  I had to laugh out loud. I have seen beavers before.  I have heard them slap their tail when I get too close in a boat.  But I have never, ever, seen a beaver tumble down a hill before. Somehow seeing this awkward beaver made me feel better about myself and I went to my sleeping bag feeling happy and satisfied with my own physical abilities.

Hayes and Bronson

Wading in Hayes Lake

At the end of the prairie trail we found a 13 lined ground squirrel couple living under the trail One entrance to their home is under the sign post at the left side of the trail and the other entrance is under the fence post on the right side of the trail.  They looked like a happy couple.

We climbed up this WPA project that could be a water tower but is not used as a water tower anymore

While we traveled in the northeastern portion of Minnesota I came to realize that I had a preconceived notion that this was a boring part of the state. I was wrong. This is not bland and boring but a gorgeous piece of habitat.  The land was mostly flat but the soil was rich.  I saw no irrigation systems up here which surprised me. I thought the northeast part of the state got very little rain but it must be enough to farm without sprinkler systems.  The farms looked prosperous.  These two state parks had lakes because dams were built on the rivers to create them. I waded in both lakes and that felt great because the day was hot.  Earlier, at Big Bog state park we met some young people from Wilderness Inquiry, a travel company.  They had six canoes and were meeting school kids to give them a canoe ride and an educational program. Various schools had scheduled environmental field days for what looked like sixth graders.  I met a couple guys from Wilderness Inquiry and mentioned that I had taken three trips with WI. I told them I had gone to the Apostle Islands, Kenya, and the BWCA with WI and had a great time. The guy I talked to resembled a young Brad Pitt, like the Brad Pitt who was in the movie Thelma and Louise. The next day we met the WI group again at Zippel Bay. One of the women talked to me and said she had heard I had gone on three trips with them.  This time they were with students from Lake of the Woods school.  We saw their camp. Some of the WI people slept in tents and a couple slept in hammocks.  There is something about seeing someone sleeping in a hammock that brings out the urge in me to go up to them and set them swinging by giving them a gentle push. But I restrained myself from doing that.  Anyway, as we were hiking around Hayes Lake, we come out of the woods and are walking across the grassy berm when across the lake I see the WI guy who looks like Brad Pitt waving at us (or me, maybe he was waving just at me).  We walk over to them. They are loading their six canoes back onto the trailer. I ask where they are headed next and hoped I wasn't coming across creepy. They were headed to Saint Cloud to party and then back to Minneapolis to turn in their gear. They had been on the road for two weeks meeting various schools at state parks. They were ready to go home and decompress.  My companion and I thought heading to Saint Cloud would be over the line so we choose to stay where we were.  By this point on my vacation I didn't care about my regular worries anymore. I wasn't checking my phone.  I wasn't looking at my computer.  I was enjoying the trees and frogs and lakes and open sky with white fluffy clouds.  The wood ticks were relentless but I would rather have wood ticks than deer ticks. I had lumps on my neck and ears from the gnat bites. The mosquitoes bit too but they didn't leave lumps. I was having a very relaxing, self-indulgent vacation.

June First

Today is the first of June. I know one of my grandmothers had a birthday on June 1st and the other one had a birthday on June 4th.  Early June is always a time when I remember how lucky I was to have two such awesome grandmothers.

Jevne/Zippel

This thicket of young trees along the sandy beach of Zippel Bay is full of yellow warblers and Wilson's warblers and phoebes.  The yellow birds fly around here by the hundreds.  They sing, "Sweet! Sweet!  I am so sweet!" Yellow warblers must nest up here.

Here I am relaxing on the sandy beach which has to be a mile wide. A native lady bug joins me.  I waded in the water up to my knees and it was warm. I heard Lake of the Woods had ice on it two weeks ago.

At Zippel Bay you can get water the hard way by pumping a pump handle 250 times. Or you can get it the easy way by dipping your container into this artesian well were spring water comes up. The only drawback to this method is that you have to put your feet into the little pond on the slippery rocks.  The water is so cold it makes your shins ache. This well was right by the picnic area.

Here I am halfway down this lovely path that parallels the beach. I loved this path!

After we left the Big Bog park we drove to Franz Jevne state park which is right on the Rainy River.  A lawyer in International Falls died and his family donated the land to the state if they promised to name it after him. This is a very small state park but it has nice hiking trails. Right across the Rainy River is Canada. I could see Indian mounds on the  Canadian side.  I could have swum into Canada! I thought about doing that but the water was going fast and it looked cold.  I hiked along the river. I found a lot of hair in one spot. The hair was whitish and 3 to 4 inches long.  I talked to the guy cutting the grass at this park and he said 3 or 4 deer died in that spot.  He suspects wolves, coyotes, or disease killed them. As I hiked I watched the pelicans and the geese and the warblers fly back and forth. I thought, "There goes a Canadian goose, now it's an American goose, now it is a Canadian goose."  How little such silly boundaries mean to the birds and the fish and the dragon flies.  After hiking there for a few hours we drove to Zippel Bay. Our campsite was in the aspen woods.  Aspens are related to cottonwood trees.  And wow, the aspen trees were throwing out cotton like crazy!  The air was full of cotton!  I breathed cotton.  Cotton gathered like snow in the road and our car sent it all up into the air. Nature is so wasteful sometimes.  Yellow warblers were as thick as thieves.  I tried to get a picture of one above my orange tent but no way, warblers will not sit still for anyone!  And the beach!  Oh, my gosh, the white sand beach! It is like Hawaii or Kangaroo Island or Rhode Island.  I could hardly believe this water was fresh. Lake of the Woods is a very large lake. I waded in the water and the sand softened the skin on my feet just like what happened to my feet in the Bahamas. I was careful not to step on the many large mussel shells. We found a couple mussels with their tongues out.  We picked them up and put them in deeper water.  I had no idea that the park in the chimney of Minnesota was this awesome. Toads were calling, Leopard frogs were calling, Peepers were calling, Chorus frogs were calling. This was one strange spring/early summer. Grouse were drumming in the woods making sonic booms with their wings. One morning at breakfast I was eating my oatmeal and drinking my tea when I saw a weasel looking at me.  I (suppressing swear words again) said to my camping companion, "There is a fisher looking at me right now, right over there, staring me in the eyes with big ears and it might be a fisher or a weasel or something but it is looking me straight in the eye and I am freaking out." She asks where and she sees it slink away. We look it up in her books and come to the conclusion it was a pine martin.  Wow. A pine marten gave me the eye!  At at the showers we heard from the ranger that a bear got into the garbage by the showers last night and licked the wrapper of a peanut butter cup candy bar clean. We were just there last night.  I didn't see any bear or moose or wolves but I did see a pine marten and that was super cool. I accidentally left my computer in the showers to recharge the battery.  No one stole it. I am lucky a bear didn't hack my Facebook account.  I slept great in my orange tent and all thoughts of work and normal worries melted away.  Nature had rejuvenated me!