March 16, 2012

A significant day in Mahowald history - Casey Rainier Milesko will marry Kimberly Alice Yeske at 5:00 p.m. today in Duluth, Minnesota.   Liz and Joe are so proud, and happy for them.   Young love, eternal promises.  I wish the best to them.

I packed for the trip last night.  My first instinct was to grab a back pack - it is only ONE day.   After laying things on the bed (and deciding between three dresses), I grabbed a larger bag.   When I finished, I realized there are FOUR pairs of shoes in my packing plans.   How is that possible??   One pair of brown flats to wear with blue jeans in the car, one pair of black heels to wear to the wedding, one pair of "backup" flat sensible shoes to wear if my feet are hurting at the wedding, and one pair of tennis shoes for working out at the hotel.   Now does that make sense?!!    I have taken the heels out, and will go with the sensible shoes for the wedding.   I am contemplating wearing tennis shoes in the car for today and tomorrow non-wedding events.   Tennis shoes, ugh.    Sensible shoes for a wedding?    I may go back to the idea of four pairs!

Elaine is in town for the wedding!   She had an audit in Kansas that ended yesterday so she diverted her flight to MSP and will stay through Sunday.  It's really unfortunate that her entire family can't attend but not realistic.   Family members are staying at different Duluth/Superior hotels.  Most of us will be at the Sheraton as it is right next to they Greysalon Plaza where the reception will be held.   Ann, Warren, Paul and Shane will stay at the Voyageur Lakewalk Inn right down the street.  Pat, Jean and Laura will be at the Superior Inn, and Daniel and warren will go back to their cabin.   So excited to see everyone.

Moose will spend the night at Hilltop Kennel.  I'll drop him off at 9:00 a.m., and we'll head out after 10:00.   All of my family (less Brian) will be there.   We plan to take our time driving, stop for lunch in Hinkley and see Lake  Superior before checking in to the hotel.  Steven and David will have their own room so they can be independent of my early to bed, early to rise schedule.  I plan to dance at the wedding, so perhaps it won't be quite so early to bed tonight!

My favorite day of the week

The best quote I've heard in the past few weeks was from Liz, "every day is significant".  Based on that it is safe to say, today is my favorite day of the week.   Enjoying coffee, browsing on the computer, watching lovely flakes of snow drifting softly just outside my windows.  A squirrel is eating sunflower seeds from below the feeder.  Need to get that filled so the birds can enjoy their breakfast.

Participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count sponsored by Audubon and Cornell Labs.  I enjoy our feathered friends, the day I counted saw the normal backyard visitors - chickadees, blue jays, house sparrows, redpoll, cardinals,  Within the next few days after the count also heard a barred owl, saw an eagle, red tailed hawk, juncos, gold finches (or are they pine siskins?!).   Wonder if I could make a living watching birds?

The birding job would need to pay well as this has been an expensive week - water quit working on Thursday morning.  Called Aune Well Company and he came within the hour.  By the time he left we had a new submersible pump, control cable, pressure switch and my bank account was lightened by $1200.   The same day Bill stopped at P.M. Bedroom Gallery and ordered a Cooper Sleigh headboard with a foundation drawer unit, and a new queen sized Sebastian mattress.  It will take five weeks to be made at a spot just south of Eau Claire.  After 31 years of just a mattress and box spring on a metal frame, this will be a delight.   Warranty - 267 years!    Who will get that when I'm ready to downsize?

Megan is home.  David picked her up after work yesterday and I'll take her back tomorrow for her to be at work at 8:00 a.m.   We'll grocery shop this morning, and want to check if Treasures from the Heart has any coats, stop at Karma Gifts.   She wants to bake and take treats back to her roommates.  We have tickets to see the play, Almost Maine at UWRF this evening so called the box office and had them set aside an extra ticket for Megan.  Gene and Susan Frederickson will meet us at Mariachi Loco at 5:30.  It will be good for Megan to meet Susan as she is an occupational therapist.

David should be getting up soon for work, will make an omelet and pack him a lunch.   Moose wants another walk.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Lovely, lovely morning with a sky full of starts.  While walking Moose at 5:30 I kept my eyes to the sky enjoying the celestial show.   Saturn and Jupiter both visible in the night sky, big dipper high in the north, the three sisters protecting the south.  

Bill helped make pumpkin and pecan pies last night, they are "hiding" in the downstairs frig.  We went to the Whole Earth wine tasting and Bill selected a rose wine, I also want to serve the Cannon Falls St. Croix to remember Kevin.  Megan made her bread crumbs for the shiitake walnut dressing last night filling the house with aroma of garlic and olive oil toasting.....  The turkey will go in the oven by 7:00 and then will make bread to form in to rolls later this morning.   My most favorite meal of the year!  

Off to Skype with Liz and then to get the turkey in the oven.

Saturday

Day one of Wisconsin's gun deer season.   Bill went in to the woods about 9:15, not certain how much success he will have.  I reminded him to shoot away from the house.  I saw three deer before 7:00 a.m., I invited them to stay in our yard - after cautioning them to stay OUT of the water garden (and to hide when they see Bill).   Sadly, a deer already broke through the ice in our water garden earlier this week.   It has refrozen and I could see upended plant containers.  The hoof must have ripped the lining because the water level is down six or more inches.   Alas, the dilemmas wildlife trying to find water in the cold weather.   A chickadee was sitting in the Tina crab tree, and another in the tree right by the water garden.   Both were singing.  Quite certain they were asking how they are supposed to get a drink.  I may invest in a heated bird bath for my birds.   

Grocery shopping for Thanksgiving is done.   I had talked to Whole Earth Grocery about buying a natural turkey, however their largest bird is less than 16 pounds.  We expect 23 guests, so I purchased a 20 lb. turkey at Dick's Fresh Market.    Bought a spiral cut ham also, and all the other items needed for Thursday's dinner, so there should be plenty of food.   Butterball.com has a hilarious list of things to do in the week preceding Thanksgiving.   The frozen turkey should be thawing in the frig already (oops!), and all the holiday dishes, flatware should be washed and linens ironed.   Tuesday's tasks includes selecting what to wear, and ironing the outfit.   Good grief!   When does a woman have time to work with lists like that!   On the plus side, I have counted chairs, made place cards and decorated the house already.  That is Monday's task.  :-) I do plan to bake bread and pies on Wednesday night so that will be out of the way.   I'm so grateful to have two refrigerators, and two ovens.  

It's so overcast outside, today would be a good baking day!   Temp below freezing, and we are expecting snow a bit later in the day.  We have had a few flakes already.  I'm not ready to have snow on the ground yet.  Hope it holds off until December.

Brisk fall morning

Out early this morning with Moose.  The half light of the hunter's moon lit our walk down Liberty Road.  Spent yesterday morning digging roots of buckthorn from our woods.  Who knew that those roots were so obnoxiously deep and intertwined!   Need to continue the process this morning - after more caffeine!

Sounds of shot guns in the distance, bird hunting has begun.  I'm happy our property is a no hunting zone, yet the sounds are a bit unnerving as I ponder heading in to the woods.

The process of getting ready for cold weather continues.  Outside potted plants will move to the breezeway today.  Dahlia bulbs need to be dug.  Debating about how long to leave carrots underground, may leave them another week - amazingly, the moles haven't found them.

Bill is in process of putting in a larger window in our downstairs bedroom, the transom glass to fill in the window space is ordered.   Need it to arrive before it gets much colder - plastic in our bedroom window does not make me happy.  Although it gives a sense of camping and we never did get out camping this season.   Didn't go canoeing either, what is wrong with us?  Perhaps not too late for a canoe outing?

Dinner at Good Earth Restaurant last night with Bill, Amy and Megan.  A lovely evening.  Didn't bring home any of their bread, so will bake some of my own this morning.  

Getting the look I like

"That looks horrible", I cried to my hair stylist as she completed adding "stuff" and blow-dried my hair into a pouffy style.  This is the same woman that has cut my hair for fifteen years and has been through long styles, short styles, curly styles and knows the only time a blow dryer or curling iron gets used on my hair is in her chair.  As I pushed the hair behind my ears, she laughed, and sprayed on some water to flatten it out.

I have a perception of how my hair should look - can't go for the polished "set".   Growing up in the 70's with straight, long hair influenced my feelings on hair styles.

Too blunt with service professionals?  Perhaps.  Can she read my mind?  Better to vocalize my thoughts than to walk out with a look I can't stand.   I gave her a generous tip.   Someone help me think of a word easier on the feelings of my stylist!

Lilacs, lilacs, lilacs

Lilacs are in FULL bloom!  The yard smells like paradise.   The air is filled with the smell of blossoms.  The crab apple trees are at the end of their bloom, except for the Tina that is white with color.   The high bush cranberry, plum, cherry and apple trees are done blossoming and their petals blanket the grass.  The creeping phlox bleeding heart, prairie smoke, the canada violets and forget me nots in the shallow end of the water garden are in bloom,

Cardinals, baltimore orioles, eastern phoebes, robins flit around the yard.  Full time job keeping the jelly plate and hummingbird feeders filled -   the funniest sight, a woodpecker at the oriole feeder!  The orioles vivid orange and black feathers stand out in the maples.  How is that adapting to their surroundings?!   Oh, I know, they are trying to match the orange of our Northern Light azaleas that have also begun to bloom.    A pair of brown thrashers have been in the yard for the past week.  They eat bugs from the ground with their long beaks, this is only the second years I have noticed them.  We had a lone sand hill crane fly over yesterday,  heard it coming a mile away by its distinctive call.   A blue heron just flew over - they are lovely, and I love seeing them along the Kinnickinnic River, yet when flying above our yard, I want them to keep going and stay away from our water garden.  

Bill planted two additions to the landscape yesterday that he bought to celebrate our 30th anniversary.  A red twigged dogwood, and a Japanese maple both are in the water garden area.  We've admired the Japanese maple at Earthworks for many years but hesitated because they are zone 6 and higher.  This variety will supposedly survive in our zone 4.   We are going to need to mulch, mulch, mulch to protect its roots!  It has lovely seven pointed leaves and seems happy in our yard.   It is in the area of the Royal Red maple we planted last  year, but is decidedly different.   The Japanese maple leaves are green now, and will change with the seasons.    

After attending a graduation party and suffering through another bout of rain, we tackled the grass under the crimson maple by the front door. Bill has longed to be rid of all the grass so we started by the light post and cleared out grass around the tree.  It now has hostas, bearded iris and we planted flower seeds.  Getting rid of all of our grass seems unlikely, but we are making strides.  

The house is deliciously quiet right now, Moose and I walked at 6:00 a.m., and he's resting on the rug next to me.  Megan has successfully completed her freshman year at St. Kate's and is home for the summer.  Completely unrelated to the lilacs blooming, Megan painted her room purple this week!  It looks amazing.    David drove back from Phoenix and arrived home on May 25, he will conduct his job search from here.   He is delighted to be back in the land of seasons and is enjoying the green.   Brian has been coming over several times a week and cutting buck thorn from our woods - a massive, necessary task.  Steven is taking summer classes at UWRF and dedicating a lot of time to homework (and world of warcraft).  Between constant rain, and his studies, he has only mowed lawn once this year.   Guess we will have to remove all the lawn!

Grateful to have a long weekend to celebrate Memorial day.  Had a wonderful evening at Antler's Park in Lakeville  on Friday with family to celebrate Sister Karen Mahowald's visit home.  The rest of this weekend is just a joy to be home.   Really want the rain to end though so I can get in my vegetable garden, it has been too wet to work.  Have snap peas and lima beans planted, and need to get more things in.  Our tomato plants are ready to plant but will be in a new garden by the south side of the house.