Busy Saturday

This is Herman the German who overlooks the town of New Ulm. 

This marks the grave of a victim of the Dakota Conflict in1862

Minneopa Falls

Today was a busy day for me.  I spent the morning learning about dragon flies and damsel flies.  After lunch we took a tour of New Ulm.  I wasn't disappointed that we couldn't go the Schells brewery but other people were.  We stopped at the museum and the Herman the German statue. I was surprised to learn that Herman is the second largest state in our country.  I climbed the 99 stairs to be a good view of the Minnesota river valley and the town of New Ulm. We toured the Pioneer cemetery.   We drove around the town admiring the German architecture.  We had a walking tour through downtown and an explanation of the Dakota Uprising that happened 150 years ago this year.  That story deserve a separate blog entry.  We then went to Minneopa State Park to admire the falls and have a picnic supper.  Then I had an 8 block walk back to my room at the Butler House.  Whew!

Lights At the Butler House

Lights on the veranda welcome me back

Lights on the stairwell guide me to my room

And a trumpet light shines next to the bed. 

Blarney

Today I headed for Mankato for the annual Master Naturalist convention. After a morning spent exercising and mowing the lawn, I packed up my things and got ready to go.  I debated taking the motorcycle.  I even planned a route where I could avoid the high speeds of Highway 169.  When I heard there was a chance of rain on Sunday I decided against the motorcycle.  Rain would be no fun and put me at a higher level of risk than is comfortable for me.  Just as i am about to leave I see a message on my phone.  A friend wonders if we could carpool.  Excellent!  I call her back and we're off to Mankato together.  I am staying at the Butler Bed and Breakfast.  My room is the Blarney room.  Here is my view from the wicker couches on the wide veranda.  Excellent!

Thinking Ahead

When my Buff Orpington chicks come at the end of this month, they're going to need names.  Last time I named my chicks after characters from the television show, the Office.  I don't want to use those names again but it was a fun way to remember which hen was which hen.  This time I thought I'd use the names Claire, Gloria, Haley, Alex and/or Lily (Modern Family).  A friend of mine suggested Charlene, Julia Sugarbaker, Suzanne Sugarbaker and Mary Jo.  In case any of you youngsters are reading this, they're from an old show named Designing Women.  I like the strong female characters in that show but I think it would be weird to name a pet chicken Suzanne-it sorta has that George Forman vibe to it.  Or I could name the chickens (because the color buff is a little like gold) Rose, Blanche, Dorothy and Sophia-the Golden Girls!  So now I am thinking - how about Nora Batty, Ivy, Pearl, Glenda and/or Marina?  These women are from the British series Last of The Summer Wine.  Does anyone else have suggestions for me to consider?

My Only Complaint

With the nice weather we've had lately, I've been using the motorcycle to get around.  I was cruising down a scenic road in Coon Rapids the other day we I felt that sputtering feeling AGAIN.  Acceleration varies even though I'm holding the throttle steady.  I ran out of gas.  I have run out of gas on this bike at least half a dozen times.  I never ran out of gas on my old bike.  So I turn the gas to the reserve tank and start off again.  How can I be out of gas?  I filled it up only a couple days ago.  Since then I've only ridden to work twice, right?  My commute to work and home is about 30 miles.  Wait a minute, I did take the long way home once. And oh, yeah, I did go to a graduation party in Roseville.  Maybe I did put on over 100 miles since the last trip to the gas station.  Once I have the gas lever on reserve, I am a nervous Nelly until I fill up again.  I used to think the gas intake was too high on the gas tank but when I looked it up, my tank only holds 2.8 gallons.  I added 2.2 gallons so I had about a half gallon left.  I can't relax if the tank is on reserve.  The small gas tank is, so far, my only complaint about this bike.  How am I going to ride it around Lake Superior if I have to stop every 100 miles?  I'll have to stop at nearly every gas station I see. 

Dear Ruby Throated Hummingbird,

I suspected you were back for the past week because someone has been drinking the nectar.  On Sunday I saw your pretty face.  Welcome back.  You must be exhausted after flying across the Gulf of Mexico.   Feel free to use my yard to raise your family and spend your summer.  Consider this yard your territory but don't be surprised if another male wants to share the nectar.  I don't use very many pesticides so there should be plenty of bugs for your mate to feed her young.  When I go shopping for flowers, I will look for some with red, tubular blossoms.  I will put those on the deck close to the nectar. I promise to wash the nectar container between fillings.  And I hope I don't come across as a creepy stalker here but I would love to observe your "dive display" courtship behavior.  Just sayin.

Most Sincerely,

Orange Sue

Photos From My Flight Lesson

Our Plane

The Instruments I Never Looked At

My House Is Circled In Yellow

This view puts all my problems in their proper perspective.

Traffic backed up on Hanson Boulevard