CJ DRIVES THE BLUE HOLLAND!

Had another fun day with my grandson....lunch at Sonics, seeing the movie "Space Chimps", and out to the ranch to visit Bart......and to top it all off, Paul let him sit on his lap and drive the big BLUE HOLLAND tractor! CJ thinks Paul walks on water and just loves to follow him around at the ranch talking about the machinery.

When it was time to bring the horses in, Heather opened the door and they all ran through the indoor arena to their stalls. CJ was standing by the gate, and Bart left the other horses to walk over to CJ and drop his head to say "Hi". Heather came back to see why Bart wasn't in his stall...and he was still visiting with CJ. Bart ignored Heather when she called him, but then quietly followed CJ to his stall where CJ closed the door triumphantly. As Heather later said, "That horse knows his boy". A sleepy and dusty boy was delivered to his parents by 8 pm, where he told of how he drove the tractor, moved the dirt, and helped with the horse chores. I don't know who enjoyed the day more, me or that fun little boy.

BEING A GRAMMA IS FUN!!!!!

Who ever thought being a grandmother would be so fun! My only grandchild (so far....Jen is expecting her first child in December!)is a darling 4 year old with glasses, a lisp, and a great sense of humor. He is bright, thoughtful, and sooooo respectful! It is refreshing to be around a child who didn't have a whine the whole two days he was with me!
I picked him up and took him to my sister's home in northern Wisconsin. She and her husband have transformed a former gravel pit into a gorgeous garden spot with an ever-changing home. John is an incredible carpenter, and is always remodeling the home. The newest change is a remodeled bathroom with an awesome stone shower. My sister has become quite the gardener and grows all her own vegetables, plus a plethora of flowers in rock gardens all over the yard. She also has chickens, so CJ had a ball feeding them and gathering the eggs.
He was so eager to see the huge muskie statue at the Hayward Fishing Hall of Fame. It was closed when we got there, so we got a bucket of KFC and heading to the lake for a picnic and some sunny fishing from the lake shore. He had a ball swimming...and an incoming boater even took him for a short boat ride!
The next morning he was finally able to see that BIG fish and was so excited. It is such a treat to view things through the fresh eyes of a child. We also went to the Wilderness Walk, where he was able to pet deer, baby animals, and even a camel. It is a wonderful learning place for children, and such a relaxing place to walk through the woods while seeing spotted fawns following their mothers and read the informative signs about the trees, glacier formations and ecology.
I returned a dusty, sleepy boy back to his parents 30 hours later. They are fantastic parents and have done such a great job of raising a well-mannered child. I couldn't believe hearing him apologizing to my sister when he dripped some of his yogurt on the tablecloth, and asked for a cloth to clean it up! After 30 years of working with kids, I didn't think I would enjoy being around on so much....but he is special....MY GRANDSON!

TORNADO!!!

One thing you know for sure in July in Minnesota.....those warm, humid days often end with a storm. Yesterday had a beautiful sunset....but then the storm warnings started flashing across the bottom of the TV screen....and when the beeping announced a tornado 1 mile east of Blackduck, and I was sitting one mile west of Blackduck....well, it made for an interesting evening! Luckily, all we got was a spectacular lightning show but avoided the hail and wind that hit around us. The weather will continue to be erratic the rest of the week.....hot, humid days followed by storms at night. Hope it settled down before the horse camping this weekend!

INDEPENDENCE DAY

When one is single, a realtor, or a nurse, many July 4ths are spent working or alone. We convince ourselves that it is just another day, and watch faraway fireworks from the back deck or a hospital window.

A friend just told me that I am now living the good life. I hold my breath when I hear this, as there is no guarantee that life will treat you gently as the years pass. At this point in my life, I am enjoying retirement with relatively financial security (as long as I remember I am a retired schoolmarm on a fixed income!), fairly good health (ignoring the issues with my eyes, joints and heart valve!), a family that is also fairly healthy and happy, and wonderful friends in Arizona and Minnesota. I find myself treasuring each day that I am able to enjoy the beauty of nature, and activities that I enjoy.

And so another Independence Day has come and gone, and it was a perfect day. It began with a clear sunny day with a soft breeze. The resort has an annual flag changing ceremony, and as that bright new flag fluttered at the top of the flagpole, I caught a lump in my throat as I noted the salute given my one of the residents, a veteran who fought battles in WWI, and is now fighting the battle with Alzheimer's.

After reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to that new flag, we were invited for rolls and coffee on the deck of one of the park model homes, and Wylee made his rounds for treats.

One of the joys of living in a small town across from the golf course, is that it is so easy to hop in the cart and drive to the first hole....which we did with three guys and me. I am a hacker golfer, so was very flattered that they insisted that I join them, and were patient with my hooks, slices and duffs. They were also very generous with praises when I would occasionally connect for a good drive or putt....and even offered some helpful pointers.

Not done, yet! The customers from the resort all met again at the Hillcrest supper club for their special BBQ of turkey, pork and beef. And as we sat out on the deck enjoying the view of the lake and cocktails, a small canon that had been beautifully made by a local retired welder was fired.

And there is more! We took our full tummys back to the resort to relax in front of a bonfire and to watch a spectacular sunset over the lake. And as dusk crept in, the fireworks began. I brought a family pack to set off, and there were other displays shooting up from across the lake, at the park, and at the neighboring resort. Finally, we used the glowing coals of the fire to make smores, and then said our good nights.

Before ending the day, the nightly game of Gin 13 was played, and I ALMOST won. And midnight arrived as we shuffled the cards, and my 61st, and perhaps favorite, Independence Day passed to memory.

Not every day or holiday will be as we would like it to be, and loneliness and disappointments cannot be avoided. But we need to enjoy and appreciate the moments.....and this memorable day was one of those very special moments.

Happy Birthday, America!

MINNESOTA FISHING

Back to Minnesota and enjoying the lakes once again. Have caught some nice walleyes, perch and bluegills, but the real fun was bringing in this 34" Northern! And, of course, half the fun is being competitive with the guide. Who do you think won????

BACK IN MINNESOTA

I have now been back in Minnesota for a week. I have heard horror stories all winter of the terrible winter and cold, wet spring they have endured. But this weekend was my first camping trip and trailride, and the weather was a sunny, breezy, 74 degrees, so maybe I have brought the sunshine up with me.
I had dreaded the long drive up pulling a horse trailer and paying for the inflated gas, but we make it in three days, and were able to get up in a short interval between floods and tornados in the midwest. My friend, Ginger, flew down and spent a few days soaking up some sun, sightseeing, and then helped me pack up and drive north. As she also has a living quarter horse trailer, she was great to help with the driving. We drove from 7am to 7 pm and stayed at nice horse facilities in Albuquerque and Kansas City. We paid between $3.74 and $4.86 for gas, and I had a tail wind, so got better mileage then I had figured on, so that was great! Bart trailered well....I was worried about his not wanting to load, but had no problems.
So now I have been back a week, spent some time with my son, daughter-in-law and grandson (including his sleeping over in my camper one night!), caught up with the news with my friends, and left Friday morning for a weekend of camping and trail riding in Red Wing. The trails were slippery from all the recent rains, and blocked several times from trees fallen in the storms, but we were able to navigate around or over them, and all went well.....with the exception of Cindy being thrown from her horse and getting a trip to the ER (thankfully, nothing was broken), and Orrocks horses getting loose and ending up on the freeway, where a helpful motorist helped catch them. So....now home, unloaded, Bart is rolling in the sand of the arena, Wylee is sacked out under my table, and I am cleaning the trailer before loading the car to head north tomorrow. The summer is off to a great start!!!!

Mom's Old Refrigerator

Mom and Dad had a small Leonard refrigerator back in the '50's when I was growing up in a small town in northern Minnesota. The bottom had a tilt out bin where she stored her potatoes and onions. It had a small freezer at the top between the taller shelves that held the milk bottles. It probably could hold an ice tray and a few frozen steaks.
As the family grew, the little refrigerator became too small for the family of five, and a family friend surprised Mom with a new, larger refrigerator full of plastic shelves instead of the steel racks in the old Leonard. After a few years, the shelves were cracked or broken, and the side shelves had fallen off one time too many. And the big new refrigerator died. So when Mom and Dad moved into the bigger house across town, they purchased another new plastic refrigerator. And soon this one needed replacing, also. And the old Leonard? They sold it to a resort.....where it is still in use today.
Why did I think about all this today? I have been in my new house a month now. My brand new GE washer would not work on the hot cycle, and I am awaiting a new part for it. My brand new hot water heater burned out a lower element, and I just had a new one put in. My brand new GE side by side refrigerator quit making ice, and a new ice maker has been ordered for it. I bought a new house, as my former one was 25 years old, and I was expecting to be needing to replace some expensive items such as air conditioning, furnace, roof and deck. So now I am in spanking brand new home.....and three spanking brand new appliances have already needed repair in the first 30 days. Don't make 'em like they used to, huh? I guess it is our throw away society....we want to get new colors, new model,s new specifications, new styles, new husbands,..... Since all the importation of cheap goods from China and former Third World countries, places like WalMart can sell items so cheaply that is it cheaper to replace rather than repair. And then there are the computer chips......
But there was a time when there was quality and pride in workmanship. Now it is "Planned Obsolescence" . I bet even the Maytag repairman is no longer sitting around with his dog waiting for a call. Might as well just throw that old Maytag, anyway....the new ones are RED!!!!!