Happy Halloween!

Incessant Hammering.

I am not sure if you can see it but there are packages of shingles up there on my roof. I have had a very loud day. From 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. I have heard banging and scraping and foot falls on my roof. Old shingles and nails fell from the roof to the tarps below. I was glad when the sun went down so I could have some peace and quiet. I thought back to the year 1983. Straight line winds went through Coon Rapids. The winds took the roof off of Mercy Hospital, Menards, and my house. I worked the afternoon shift when that roof was being repaired. The incessant banging and nailing was unbearable mostly because I was in my first trimester of my first pregnancy and I needed extra sleep; not less sleep. I will be glad when all this incessant hammering is done and over with.

The Curious Charms of Arthur Petter

I found Arthur Pepper to be curiously charming. Phaedra Patrick wrote The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper. You can see him wearing his mustard yellow vest. Arthur is 69 years old when his wife, Miriam, dies. He is lost without her. He copes with his grief by sticking to a strict schedule every day. He eats the same thing for breakfast and has tea at the exact hour every afternoon. He clings to his rigid schedule like a person overboard clings to a life vest. As he cleans out Miriam's closet he finds a charm bracelet in a pair of her leather boots. Miriam was a classy dresser and charm bracelets seem out of her style of dress. Arthur goes about finding out more about the charms on the charm bracelet and in doing that he learns more and more about his wife. He travels to find answers.With each charm he breaks out of his rigidity and learns to enjoy travel and people and situations. Arthur loved Miriam and Miriam loved Arthur. This book was very charming and heartwarming.

Like New

Although orange is my favorite color I decided to get yellow siding put on years ago. Orange siding wasn't available to me. I was told it was maintenance free siding so I did nothing to maintain it. Today my siding got scrubbed clean with a pressure washer and mold removing chemicals. Some of the shadier areas of the house had a green tinge. Now it looks like new again. I only hope those chemicals don't do too  much damage to the soil and plants around the house.

Gemini

Carol Cassella, the author of Gemini, is a doctor as well as an author. Actually she in anesthesiologist. Her novel has two threads. One thread is a doctor named Charlotte who works in the hospital in the intensive care unit. A patient is admitted but no one knows her name or how she came upon her critical injuries. The other thread is about a woman named Raney who grew up with her grandfather in a small town on the Olympic peninsula in the state of Washington. Her grandfather was a survivalist and her upbringing is not the typical upbringing. The story is heart warming and also heart breaking at the same time. At the end the two threads come together with what I thought was a satisfactory ending.

Strolling River Banks

Here is an image of the Mississippi just above the dam in Coon Rapids. Walking in nature refreshes my soul.

Here is the Rum River below the dam in Anoka. The river is at flood stage and flowing quickly.

The beautiful white clouds are in the sky and reflected by the water.

If the water wasn't so fast I could attempt one last kayak trip down the river but I don't think that would be a safe idea at this point.

The Golden Spruce

About ten years ago a friend recommended I read The Golden  Spruce: A True Story of Myth, Madness and Greed by John Vaillant. She likes non-fiction stories and adventure stories. I was always going to read this book but lately I had the time to enjoy it. I proposed the book to my book club. Even though they didn't choose to read this book, I chose to read it by myself. The story is about an unusual tree in British Columbia that was revered by the Haida tribe. This Sitka spruce had a genetic mutation that made it appear yellow. A man named Grant Hadwin took it upon himself to cut this tree down. Why he did that is unknown. Also unknown is what happened to Grand Hadwin. He disappeared before he could be punished. I suspect he had mental illness. Many of his decisions were not sensible choices. At one time he was an environmentalist but he will be remembered as an eco-vandal.

Feathered Friends Pay A Call

Today is a blustery day. I have to keep looking out the window to make sure the chicken coop door doesn't blow shut again. This time I saw my two chicken had feathered friends come to pay a call. I saw five turkeys out there but of course they run and hide when they see me with a camera. I did manage to get a parting glimpse of these three turkeys. I am glad they come and visit my two chickens. I wonder if this happens daily.

Why Not?

Why not pick a few zinnias from the garden and bring them inside?

Bright Sided

I have read other books by Barbara Ehrenreich. I read Nickled and Dimed and Bait and Switch. So when I picked up Bright-Sided; How The Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America I thought I was in for a good, science and fact filled read. Unfortunately about half the book was a rambling discourse and not based on science or fact at all. The first chapter was about the author's experience with breast cancer. She was told to imagine and draw the immune  cells destroying the cancer cells. The author has a degree in chemistry and did her thesis on immune cells so she knows the immune cells don't have much to do with the cancer cells anyway. As a patient she was encouraged to think positive and to set aside the anger and fear and other less than positive feelings. She talks about the banking industry and the mortgage companies who talked positive even though the refusal to think negative contributed to the mortgage crisis a few years ago. She says there isn't a lot of read data to support the push for optimism. She talks about the mega churches who proclaim that God wants you to become rich. In the end she suggests that realism is better for the survival of the species than positive thinking. She asked that all complainers keep complaining and to turn up the volume.

Black Spruce Down

I had two black spruce trees to the east of my house. Normally black spruce are not used in landscaping because they aren't as beautiful as the other spruces. Black spruce like wet feet and my yard is sandy and not wet at all. This black spruce had lots of witches broom growths. I was fond of this tree though. I saw it out of my bedroom window. I know blue jays nested in this tree. Some years I cut down a branch that grew upwards and used it as a holiday tree. I decided to cut it down though because it was touching my house. I hired a guy to cut it down. I hoped he would cut it down this coming Monday so I could watch the work. I figure if I'm paying for someone to work at least I should get to watch. But this week I came home late. As I put my chickens to bed with my headlamp on my forehead I walked right by this tree and didn't notice it was down. In the morning, again with the headlamp, I let the chickens out and walked back to the front door and was I ever surprised to see this tree stump! How did I manage to miss it the night before?

The tree arborist did an excellent job. This tree stump is only inches high. He offered to grind out the stump but I declined because it is too near my natural gas line. Farewell black spruce! The blue jays will have to find a new home next spring.

Favorite Day of the Work Year

Today was the years of service ceremony at work which is my favorite day of the work year. We honor the work in five year intervals. We have boutonnieres and corsages with real flowers; not fake. We have cake and punch. I write speeches about each person so they are honored in a personal way. We use a large room but the crowd is so large some people stand outside in the hallway. Gifts are chosen by each person and presented to them at the ceremony. We have clapping and cheering going around the room. Photos are taken. Today was truly a wonderful day made even more special because this is the last time I will be the emcee of this event. I am retiring from work in early January. I hope the tradition I have established goes on.

Clams

Last night my master naturalist group had a class on mussels of the Saint Croix River. This scenic river holds the record for the most mussel diversity on our planet. We learned it is illegal to take any mussels from this river. Some mussels are endangered and others are plentiful. The button industry of a century ago nearly wiped out most of the mussels in the state. In some rivers you can still find mussel shells with round holes punched out. Ironically the man who developed the technique of making buttons out of mussel shells stepped on a mussel shell named "heel splitter" and died of an infection from that injury. That is karma for you.   

Noon Time Walk To Laddie Lake

Today was a great day for a mile long walk out in nature breathing in the fresh air.

The blue sky made for a nice contrast with this tree.

The Excellent Lombards

Set in an apple orchard in Wisconsin, the story of The Excellent Lombards is told by Mary Francis (Frankie) Lombard. Frankie and her older brother William grow up helping with the apple harvest. The first chapter talks about the family baling hay. A thunderstorm is coming. William begs his father to take them back to the barn before the storm hits. William is freaking out. He worries they will be struck by lightening. The other family members focus on the task and scurry to get the hay into the barn. Just as the wagon pulls into the barn, the rain falls. This magical moment is an example of Jim Lombard's skill as a farmer and a father. Frankie loves her life on the apple orchard and she wants everyone to stay here and live happily ever after. This was a great coming of age novel. Jane Hamilton is a great story teller.

Trust Me On This

The typhoon blew over without too much damage and everyone is safe in case you were wondering.

I read Trust Me on This by Jennifer Crusie. Trust me on this, don't bother reading it. Spend your time doing something better.

Hagibis

Today it snowed (heavy sigh). I was not happy to see the snow. But then I think, things could be worse than snow. While we endure a few white flakes drifting down from the sky and melting on the grass or ground or head, other people are enduring much worse. The word Hagibis means speed in the Tagalog language of the Philippines. Super typhoon Hagibis is headed for Japan. Two feet of rain might fall. Winds might get up to 140 miles per hour. Flights have been cancelled. Bullet trains are stopped. Grocery store shelves are empty. On the scale of inclement weather, what I saw today is nothing.

Flat On The Bottom

I got a flat tire on Tuesday. I noticed the passenger rear tire was low on Monday afternoon so I filled it with air and hoped I would get through another day but that didn't happen. I had an appointment after work to get the tire repaired. Luckily I know how to change tires. My father taught me how to change a tire before he let me drive my car away alone so I know how to change tires. Over the years I have changed many tires. I used to buy retreads - tires that were worn out and someone cut deeper treads into the tire. Those retreads never lasted long but they were affordable for me when I was young and poor so I bought them. I don't buy retreads anymore. A friend from work came out to offer assistance. I pulled the donut tire out of the trunk and assembled the jack. In our busy parking lot we set down to the task. The lug nuts were on very tight. I have dealt with this before so I put the lug wrench at just the right angle and, while hanging onto the car, stood on the lug wrench to loosen the nut. I had two lug nuts loosened before this man saw what I was doing and offered to help. I let him help. Once the nuts were loose we jacked up the car. We had the car jacked up so the tire, which was only flat on the bottom, could spin. But the wheel would not pull off the axle. Another man came by to help. I told him he could help. This guy did not speak English but he could work a tire like a pro. He banged on the tire and got it loose from the axle. We handed him the donut and he handed us the flat tire. He put the donut on the axle and hand tightened the lug nuts. My car has four lug nuts so he tightened the two across from each other before tightening the other two which is just like I would have done. Then he lowered the jack so the donut was resting on the asphalt. I kept lowering the jack while he tightened the lug nuts on very tight. My guess is he comes to this building to take English as a second language lessons. He had a notebook in his hands. We thanked him and he responded but not in English before he scurried off. Looking at the other tires I saw that they had very little tread left. After washing my hands I cancelled my appointment to get the tire repaired and made another appointment to install four new sixteen inch tires. After work I drove on side roads so as to stay below 50 miles per hour. Within an hour I was on my way with four new tires. Problem solved. Changing tires is a life skill every adult should learn. I counted myself lucky. A sunny day and moderate temperatures is a great day to get a flat tire. With winter approaching soon, I am glad I have good tires to get through all the snow that is going to fall.

Educated

Last night my book club discussed Educated by Tara Westover. We all agreed that it had to be a memoir because no one would believe the story if it were a novel. This book has been on the best seller list for over a year and was listed as recommended reading by Barack Obama and Reese Witherspoon. I found it really difficult to read. I didn't want to spend the money to get a  hard copy. It isn't available in paperback unless you can read Spanish. I borrowed it from the Cloud Library as an audio book so I listened to it while doing chores around the house. Sometimes the sadness of the abuse Tara received from her brother Sean was just too much for me to listen to anymore and I had to shut it off and think about happier things. Growing up in a family like Tara's could not be easy but she seems to be doing well. She is brilliant and successful and lives in another country across the ocean from her family which is probably wise. We don't know if everything she claims is true was actually true. Even in my own family, my perception of people and events varies very much from other siblings. In this day and age truth seems more shaky than it did when I was young. Journalism has changed a lot. Photo editing is so rampant you can't believe pictures or even video. What will life be like for children born today in the year 2069? Our group agreed it is important to teach kids to use critical thinking skills and not believe everything they see or read or hear.

Brothers 2

Last Friday we were invited to go to an event organized by the art meander. This event was a concert put on by a band called brothers2 in Watson, Minnesota. Watson was the closest city to our Airbnb so we went. Watson is a small town so we thought we could find it easily. We stopped at a small convenience/liquor store. Some of my companions wanted to buy some beer. We walk into the convenience store. We asked the woman where the beer was. She told us we had to walk around the building and go in the other day. All five of us file out one door and into the other. There we see the same woman at the counter. All she had to do was walk through a curtain from one store to another. We bought the beer and got back into the car. We wondered where the town hall was. As the headlights came on one of the women mentioned the unusual stripes on the building ahead of us. We all peer at the building and see the words Watson Town Hall. We drove across the street and park in front of the hall. As we walked up the steps and in the door we put $20 in a jar as a good will offering. In the town hall we see 20 tables set up with folding chairs around them. This room was once a gym for the one room school house in Watson. A basketball net hangs above the door we came in. At the other end of the room is a stage with velvet curtains and an easy chair and other boxes. In front of the stage at floor level are two men playing guitars and singing. They sang songs from the 60's,70's and 80's. They were good musicians. Some people were singing along. They invited a woman up to the front to join them. She sang several songs that she had written. One song was about the grief she felt when her husband passed away. Before she sang she told us that any life event that leads to a good song isn't all bad. We sat and chatted with the very friendly people at our table. We listened to music for a couple of hours. We learned that the restrooms were on the stage. Eventually I had to make my way up to the stage to use the bathroom. As I came out the group was singing one of my very favorite songs "Dream A Little Dream Of Me." I waited on stage behind the curtains and sang along while mourning the death of Cass Elliot who had one of the most beautiful voices I had ever heard. As we left one of the woman who sang on stage came up to me and said she enjoyed watching me sway to the music as she sang. She was the wife of the mayor of Watson. We walked out the door and the two brothers waved good by to us. Rain fell on us as we squinted through the windshield trying to find our turn off the highway. We were all glad we went to this concert on Friday.

Chippewa River

This morning I woke up on the futon at our Airbnb in Montivideo. For once it wasn't raining. The sun was shining and the sky was clear. We woke up gradually and had breakfast with conversation flowing the entire time. We decided we should walk down to the Chippewa River before leaving. We hiked through the front yard to find the mowed path down the hill. A three legged dog named Cooper came along. Cooper is still a pup. He lost his leg just a few weeks ago but that doesn't stop him from playfully nipping at our elbows and knees. A long walk would do this dog some good. We walked down the long hill through the forest. We climbed onto the railroad tracks and walked west until we came to the road. We took the road toward the river. We found a path through the grass down to the river bank. That is where I took this picture. Cooper took a long drink of river water. As we walked back up the hill, across the tracks, and up the road Cooper finally showed signs of tiring. We walked past the tree line to the mowed path through the prairie. We found a few frogs and a flock of cedar waxwings. By the time we made it back to the house the dog was tired. We cleaned out our belongings and tidied up the place a little bit. We had a lovely weekend in Montivideo.

Summer Kitchen

Some of my master naturalist friends are staying at an Airbnb in Montivideo, Minnesota. The owner of this renovated summer kitchen is the head of the program and she took us on a day long adventure. Our adventure was part of the art crawl in the area and part nature. Here is a picture of a rare ball cactus near Big Stone Lake in Big Stone State Park.

She took us to a rare fen along the side of the highway. Plants that can only survive in the calcereous soil. No one knew it was a fen until the DNR burned the property. We stayed there in the light rain for quite a while and enjoyed ourselves very much.

This is a view of LacQuie Parle Lake. The wind was blowing so hard it created a howling sound. Also we found a fox skull at the overlook. The poor fox looked like it had a bullet hole in it's head.

Clemantis

Beautiful display this morning.

Seasons Change

Today I realized for sure that summer is sincerely over. I came home at 8:15 after a long day to a dwelling in which the temperature was only 50 degrees. I consider that temperature to be unbearable. So I dug out my box of furnace filters, sprayed a new filter with germ killing spray, stuck into the furnace, carried the dusty old filter out to the trash, came back inside and flipped the thermostat to heat. (Heavy sigh)