Checking in!

 I hope you've all had a great Memorial Day! Things were quiet here. Well, except in our little town of Nevis which is overflowing with tourists! They all seem to be having a ball running, biking, eating ice cream, ATVing and anything else summery they can think of. Out at our place the kids are playing and Micah and Adam are doing house projects. I did do my one mile walk, but otherwise I've been indoors. The grands came over for almost 3 hours, which I hope helped Adam and Micah to get their projects further along. 

My flower collection has grown a bit. When I was painting trim on my dining room windows I looked out at the flowers on the steps and there was a little ruby throated hummingbird sipping from the marigolds! I don't have a feeder out (because of the aforementioned bear problem in the area) so I was glad to see this little fellow had found my flowers.

Yes, I did spend day before yesterday painting window trim in the living room and dining/kitchen area. It's about time! Now the baseboards look even worse, so I guess those are next. 

So, here we go, on a willy-nilly trip through my photos. Let's see what's happened since my last blog post two weeks ago.

This is our chicken sauna. Don't you have one of those? Adam's sister remodeled this old sauna to use as a chicken house. He just moved it over here yesterday. It has a little chicken door on the other side. He just needs to make a little yard so the chicks can come outside. It's actually pretty nice and spacious inside. The chicks think it's a step up from the water tank they've been living in. It's just a loan until Adam can construct a new chicken house. :) His sister decided not to have chickens this year. I should get some updated photos of the chicks. The guineas are starting to look like guineas!

This was quite a find at our local thrift store. A Boulder mug! I wonder how that got here? Since Boulder was my old stomping grounds in the '60's and '70's I couldn't pass it up! Like my flour sifter pour over contraption? It works!

I just finished these today for a Lovable Cat swap.

These were for what we call a Trash to Treasure swap. The host sent me an envelope full of scraps, and I make some very silly house shaped ATCs using those scraps. These scraps were from various games.

These clouds looked cooler in real life...

I showed this pointillism mushroom to you a few posts back, but I made three more to complete this What's the Pointillism? swap.

I finished the group of books I mentioned earlier, and now I'm reading these. (Well, I did give up on the wit and wisdom of Harry Truman. You can only take so much of one person's concentrated wit and wisdom.)

I read this one back in my twenties. It seems like only yesterday!

Some cards for an Open Theme swap. 

Some scenes along my walking route.

Cards for a postage stamp themed swap. Our subject matter on the stamps had to be household items or food. (I know. Bizarre.)

And a Sunflower themed swap.

Glenn, thanks for the box of PG Tips tea! I look forward to brewing up gallons of iced tea this summer!

Well, I'm off to enjoy the evening, have some supper and read some more. God bless and shalom to all of you wonderful people "out there"!

Potted up a few flowers!

 I'm a pretty sparse gardener compared to most of you out there. Yesterday I got a belated Mother's Day gift from my dear daughter in the form of a coupon for a hanging basket. That gave me the little kick start I needed to at least get a few flowers!

My bird feeders are still empty. Too many bears around. I'm not sure when it will be safe to fill them again. I sprinkle sunflower seeds on the ground, but I don't dare put out suet or a hummingbird feeder. Maybe the flowers will attract a few?

How do you like my funky flower pots? (below) Everyone was out of flower pots. At least, cheap ones! I punched some holes in the bottoms of these and I think they'll work. 

Marigolds and petunias. That's the extent of my garden. I'll admire everyone else's from afar!

Oh, I wanted to clear up some possible misunderstandings on the pages I decorated in Jolly's little notebook. Most of what you see is illustrations I cut out of books or photocopied and glued in. I didn't do hardly any actual art in there. I did draw the little brown sweater and used a few of my handcarved rubber stamps, but can't take credit for more than that. Gotta give credit where credit is due! (I did do the painting of the loon on the rock though! ha ha)

We almost melted yesterday when it got up in the low 70's. We're pretty wimpy when it comes to warm weather. We haven't had a chance to get acclimated to higher temps. It's getting even warmer today! Our trees are slowly getting some leaves. I think we need a bit of rain to hurry that along. 

I've just finished reading a big coffee table book called Scottish Country. It gave me a fascinating peek into some of the old Scottish country homes and some of their history. I highly recommend it. I also read a novel called A Quilter's Holiday  which I thought was a cozy mystery, but turned out to be a quilting themed novel which was only mildly interesting. I've also dabbled in The Wit and Wisdom of Harry Truman which has been kind of fun. The main book I'm slogging through slowly, because it takes some actual thought, is Black Rednecks and White Liberals by Thomas Sowell. I almost gave up on it because it does take some mental effort, but I'm glad I've stuck with it because he explores the history of slavery, not only in America but around the world, and the ways in which blacks and whites have effected each other's cultures. That's a very bad explanation, but I think it's an important book. It seems like something everyone needs to read in our current world situation, though it was written 16 years ago. Thomas Sowell is himself a black man, so he writes from some experience. He's also been described as "America's foremost intellectual" and "a national treasure". If he's still living he would be in his early nineties. I've become an admirer.

On to lighter topics. ATCs! :)

Here are cards for my latest swap which is a PAT (Pick-a-theme). I made a card for four other players based on a theme they chose.

(Angels; Frida Kahlo; Purple; and Abstract art.) I found the little Frida Kahlo drawing in a kid's magazine and added some features, ha ha.

I'm working on cards for a pointillism swap. I've finished a mushroom and have sketched out some aspens for my next card. These take so much time! Yikes.

Other than reading and making ATCs it's been mostly walking and babysitting. I have a predictable life. Not complaining! 

I hope everyone is well and thriving! Enjoy your summer and shalom to all!

Bon voyage, Jolly!

 It was fun getting to know Jolly and sharing my north woods experience with him! He seemed to enjoy seeing a lot of nature and meeting some new friends. Everyone has exchanged addresses so they can send actual handwritten missives to one another. That's Jolly's favorite thing!

We thought it was about time he set off to his next destination. I know many hostesses are waiting to entertain him and do a little matchmaking! 

This is page two of the story I wrote to go in the envelope.

Oh, and page one...sorry they're out of order. I can't figure out how to remove and edit pictures, ha ha.

Here are the pages I decorated in Jolly's notebook with some washi tape, rubber stamps, stickers and book pages. Plus some animal drawings from an old Boy Scout manual. 

I just remembered two more things that happened while Jolly was here. Yesterday my granddaughter tapped on my living room window and pointed to the alfalfa field to the south of my house. Here's something I've never seen before! I hope you can see it. My camera isn't the fanciest! Porcupine! (Or porkypine as I actually say it.) He made it safely across the road, whew!

A few minutes later a badger was spotted in the same field, but he popped down a hole and we haven't seen him again. Audrey was giggling at the porcupine's big, furry feet. :)

Jolly also encouraged me to finish painting the "doorstop stone" I mentioned in a previous post. I decided to put it on my front steps instead of using it as a doorstop. (I found another stone for that purpose. I'll probably paint it later.) I kind of enjoy painting on rocks. Dori has her sheetmetal; I have my rocks!

And so, I've stamped Jolly's passport...

and he says, "See you all later! I've had a great time with Lisa and I'm excited to meet Heather!" 

Farewell to the land of Paul Bunyan! Hello Hoosiers! (I thought the heart envelope was kind of appropriate.)

Have a safe trip, Jolly! I'll be watching for your further adventures!

Everyone can follow the next leg of his "Wife Tour" at Heather's blog called Blackberry Rambles!

And for all of you who have been reading, God bless and shalom!

Is the third time the charm? (Or the third date?)

 Moira, who is in her late 50's (I know, she doesn't look that old, but she is!) also lives in the north woods of Minnesota. Just like Kate and me! :) She loved the idea of going on a date with Jolly. She referred to him as the mail-order groom. (Don't tell Jolly!) Moira is a widow, and her little grandsons like to visit. You may see them in a picture.

Jolly met Moira at the edge of a lake where she waited in her canoe. She said it was the best way to get to her cabin across the lake. I waved goodbye and promised to return for Jolly in a few hours.

Jolly had never been in a canoe before. It was kind of tippy and made him nervous, but Moira was so relaxed and reassuring that he soon calmed down. She pointed out a loon's  nest on the edge of the lake. They're the state bird, she explained, and they swim under water to catch fish. He told her he has seen loons in the UK in the winter. They usually swim in the ocean or in bays, and they call them Great Northern Divers. Moira was surprised to learn this!

Several eagles flew overhead. One skimmed the surface of the lake and grabbed a fish in his talons. They startled numerous ducks and she told him about the different types. She knew them all by name. They dragged the canoe up on the shore near her cabin and stood and watched the beaver's busy building a dam.

Jolly liked her little blue house. This picture was taken last winter.

Check out that thermometer. 0 degrees! It gets colder than that!

They were soon enjoying a lunch of chicken wild rice soup, thick slices of Prairie Brown Bread with butter and sun tea. There were generous slices of blueberry pie ala mode for dessert. Jolly decided he likes the way north woods ladies make lunch!

Jolly asked her about her interests. She thought on the question for a bit and said she loved to do lots of outdoor things. In winter she cross-country skis and snowshoes. She also enters sled dog races. Jolly said he hadn't noticed the dogs. He knew from watching documentaries that sled dogs bark a lot. She explained that the dogs belong to a friend. They work with the dogs together, then race together.

In the evenings she enjoys quilting, writing in her nature journal and sitting in front of the woodstove looking at seed catalogs and planning her garden. She also invites neighbors over for Bible study once a week and she plays guitar while they sing.

In the summer she canoes, hikes, watches birds, fishes and gardens. In the fall she hunts and cans her garden produce and other foods for her winter supply. He asked if she has a favorite book. She said she loves to read. Especially books about people living in the Alaska wilderness. She added that she also likes to watch YouTube videos about people from other countries to see how they live. She said it's so interesting to see how people learn to make do when they have very little. She likes to learn new homesteading skills. Jolly shares her interest in YouTube videos!

They had such a good time talking and roaming around her property. She even let him try his hand at chopping firewood! Then it was time to canoe back across the lake to meet me.

Jolly liked Moira a lot, but he wasn't sure he was up to living her rustic lifestyle. It seemed like a lot of work! But he was glad to get to know her and wanted to keep in touch. By snail mail, of course. He thought it must be difficult for her postman to deliver mail in the winter. "Yes, it is," I agreed. (This conjured up personal memories of snowplows and broken mailboxes.)

And so ends Jolly's third date here in the north woods of Minnesota. Time to think about tying up loose ends and preparing him for the next leg of his journey. As we sit in my little living room and brainstorm all we need to do before he leaves we enjoy yet another cup of tea. (He never seems to get enough!) I've borrowed a tip from Mr. V. Bigg, the giant in his book, and serve his tea in a thimble. He drinks several. We went all out with the teapot and everything!

I'll keep you posted on what we do next, but for now it's late. Time to rest up.

By the way, we didn't see any of these. But they're out there...

You can learn more about Moira by reading Antler, Bear, Canoe by Betsy Bowen. I may have changed the story up just a little. :)

So, cheerio and shalom!