Hitting the Restart Button...

 

After all the sales and a 5 day quilt retreat, I determined that today was restart day.  So I took it easy and spent some time in the kitchen cooking/baking.  I'm slowing down and enjoying football and unwinding from all the pressure I put on myself to produce project after project.  I was a little worried about health issues like blood pressure but today's reading is very normal so I'm good there. 

Yesterday I noticed a few things that had happened around my house that I had nothing to do with but should have noticed.  Hubby has single-handedly taken on all the fall projects of putting things away and stacking our stash of furniture and stuff for our sales so we could get our vehicles back in the garage pole barn.  He doesn't like things sitting out in the yard over the winter months so the yard is stark - just brown with plants that should be cut down but won't be until spring.  I leave them for the birds to snack on along with the rabbits, voles, mice and other critters like dear.

Christmas shopping/buying is well underway and ideas percolating for the rest.  I still have time to make a few things so that is good too.  I don't shop much after Thanksgiving so I'm feeling pretty good in that department - thank goodness for Internet shopping!!!

This morning we had a little sleet and snow and the temps have dropped so the deck is a little slippery with a fringe of icy snow around the edges.  This is the kind of day I usually decorate the window boxes out in the yard with freezing fingers trying to work the clippers and cutting branches from my five or six kinds of evergreens.  Not today though - maybe later in the week.

This year I will build bird feeder stations in my window boxes using boughs on the bottom and layering peanut butter and seed pine cones along with other things like suet balls.  I will see my birds up close and personal as I sit at my computer.

Well - I'm going to go knit or crochet something to finish off my restart day.  I want to replenish some of my burlap creations for the shop but I will take it slowly.  It's time to try to keep things in perspective after all, I am retired!

Take care,

Bonnie

Celebratin' my Birthday!

Yesterday I celebrated my birthday with my family.  It was a day filled with good food, great conversation, a fantastic Vikings football game that we won and presents!!!

My oldest daughter made these great fall candle holders for me!
They are so pretty when the candle light glows through the leaves.

My youngest daughter and family
gave me this beautiful mum!!!

My 9 year old grandson bought this TV for himself

at a garage sale but when my kitchen TV went all crazy,

 he walked in to my party with his TV for me! 

What a generous guy!  He was so proud and so was I!

 

 In the mail one day, I received a package from my sister and

inside was this Henbag (rubber chicken)!!!  My friends are so envious!

 

 

Today my friend gave me this pillow...so true and so fun!!!

 

I love presents but the best present is to spend time with my family and friends!  The second best present is when they bring all the food and I don't have to cook!!!  Yay!

 

Thanks for being there for me and for kinda, sorta loving/liking me inspite of my craziness!!!

 

Take care,

 

Bonnie



A Saturday Afternoon Movie...

TV hasn't been very good lately.  So today with little anticipation that I would find anything, I scrolled thru the listings.  I stopped at a movie called "Veronica Guerin."

The movie was nothing if not amazing...she was amazing.  Veronica was a real person - an Irish journalist who unearthed crimes of the Irish Mob, John Gilligan and others in Dublin, Ireland in the 90's.  She was so gutsy and brave after being shot, enduring a beating and many death threats.  She was a wife and mother and only 38 when they killed her on a highway near Dublin.  If you can find it, watch it.  You won't be sorry.

She was a martyr who affected change in the weeks after her assassination.  The Irish government enacted/strengthened laws against organized crime and brought them to their knees and confiscated their assets.  Crime dropped 15%.

There is so much more to this story - some from the movie and other information on the online.  After the movie, I felt insignificant and without a cause.  I need to make a difference somehow and somewhere.  Time to reconfigure a part of my life. 

It turned out to be an extraordinary Saturday afternoon.

Take care,

Bonnie

Our Trip to Cape Cod-like Lake City...

Our view from our motel - The Alaska

Bob's new truck!!!  Full!!!

View from Lake City's Rabbit Bakery! 
Great coffee and pastries and egg salad sandwiches

Now don't you think we could be at Cape Cod???  We spent a few days visiting friends, going to garage sales and just relaxing at Lake Pepin in Lake City.  We had unbelievable weather - so mild and sunny! We were on a mission to buy for our fall sale in October.  We found lots of unique stuff and filled up the truck. 

Oh ya - I spent some time at two different quilt shops - Rather Bee Quilting and Pumpkinberry Stitches.  I purchased some new patterns but only 1 1/4 yds. of fabric.  A first for me...although I ordered two quilt kits before I left on vacation.  I'm all set for my next 5 day quilt camp in October!!!

Annie was a great traveling companion - she still doesn't care for other dogs but other than that she was perfect.  She loves riding in the truck and leaves hairy evidence when she sits in the front seats while we are eating or shopping.  We lucked out that it was nice and cool so she could stay in the car when we had breakfast or shopped a while.

Annie looking pensive...

Take care!

Bonnie

Annie's Most Amazing Adventures...

Forever friends...

                    Actually this is a short story of our adventures with Annie.

Today was Vet day again...Annie's ears are clear but she will have her two upper back teeth pulled next Monday.   One is fractured and broken off and the other has deep fractures.  They hurt when she eats her food and hard treats.  Hopefully next week she will be pain free.  She's on soft food and treats for three weeks.  We just added water to her regular food and she's loving it.  So that's all good.

Tonight Hubby went out to close the garage door across the yard and took Annie with him - she's doing pretty good off leash.  I grabbed a couple of Dove chocolates, opened the shades since the sun wasn't coming in the kitchen windows and checked Facebook.  I glanced up and see Hubby running through the opening to our west field.  Now I see Annie behind him, watching him run.  I put my shoes on and go outside to see what is going on and Hubby runs by yelling "Annie, Annie, Annie!"  Well, its more like "ANNIE, ANNIE, ANNIE!"  Then I see Annie running along the outside of the fence in the same direction that Hubby has run.  I scream, "ANNIE, ANNIE, ANNIE!" as I see Hubby ducking through the barbed wired fence at the road.  I yell at Hubby - "What are you doing?  Where are you going?" 

Now Annie has stopped, has turned around, has come over to me, and I have her by her collar.  I try to call Hubby and no answer.  He doesn't hear me...or at least isn't answering me.  I don't move because I don't know if Annie will go towards him which is towards the road or not - so I stay where I am holding her collar. 

Now I can hear his shoes on the gravel...so I tell him that I have her.  He still doesn't hear me.  He was coming to tell me that she was gone...


After closing the garage door, he couldn't see Annie and started calling her but saw a black dog-like animal running through the field and thought it was her.  Now Hubby doesn't run anymore...but he was running because he thought it was Annie chasing something toward the road.

He never saw the animal he was chasing once it went through the fence at the end of the field because of the brush - his relief at seeing her with me was more than priceless.  Annie just looked at us wondering what had just happened.  She melts you with her soulful eyes. 

So here we are - old - with a middle age dog (6 yrs. old) - with so much energy that she would catch those bunnies except for a bush or fence where the bunnies can hide.

We've bonded - we're weary - we're a family.  Whew!  I hope we live through this time of adjustment and trust.

Hug your dog and take care,

Bonnie

Sweet Annie...

Annie joined our family five days ago.  She is an Aussie Shepherd/Shepherd Mix.  The shelter thought she was about 5 years old but today the vet and groomer believe she is older - like seven years old.  She is in good condition for a stray but has a chronic ear infection and today we found out she needs to have her largest tooth pulled.

She's so fluffy now after her bath!!!

Having a dog is a big responsibility - financial and day to day care.  Loving her is the easy part.  We feel so lucky to have found another dog that fits into our lives so perfectly.  She is a gentle soul - we will never know her story.  I can't help but think that someone is missing her terribly.

Annie's favorite place to relax is under my enamel table
by the back door where I kick off my shoes!

She spent 1/2 hour with the vet and almost two hours with the groomer.  Her coat is shiny and soft and wavy now.  What a pretty, intelligent addition to our family.  She can sit, shake hands and stay. 

Sweet Annie

The groomer gave me some suggestions about training her to be off her leash.  She would love to chase the rabbits that have made our yard their home!  So I will get a long rope and begin training as soon as this heat subsides.

The shelter named her Sweetie because that is her nature.  We changed it to Annie because that fits better for us.  So name recognition is first...then the hard part begins.  In one direction, certain times of the day, our road has lots of fast traffic .  In the other direction, lots of sounds, fields, and places to explore.  She has lots of energy so we have to build a trust between us.  When she comes to us when we call her, we can begin to let her off her leash.  The scary part because we don't know if she ran away or was abandoned or ...

So we have our work cut out for us but what a good project we have ahead of us!!!  We are smiling again and fuss over her like a kid.

Take care and adopt a dog if you have the time, love and financial means to do so.

Bonnie

Garagin' Upnorth!!!

We were up early today and on the road by 7:45 a.m.  Back to the church in Brainerd where we found lots of good stuff last year.  In and out of the car many times at many garage sales.  That elusive wooden table was not to be found...but we did find a school desk with a lid that lifts, many great picture frames, a couple of nice mirrors, three new yummy pink pillows, two birdhouses, 11 doilies, and some really nice baking pans.  I paint those and use them when making jewelry...a muffin pan is the best to sort beads and findings. 

It's been so rainy at the cabin that I've had to disassemble my craft room twice...didn't accomplish much but had some thinkin' time to make a list of things I want to create when I get home tomorrow.

I did finish this table runner...carted it around to a quilt retreat or two and now its done except for the black snaps I will sew on for embellishments.

Great fabric with typewriter keys...

Basket of unfinished pinkeepers...

Flowers waiting to embellish something...

Meeting my birthday girl daughter at the thrift store so got to dash!!!

Take care,

Bonnie

Our dog, Honey...

Our one-eyed beauty...

Our dog, Honey, died a couple of weeks ago.  She was our kind and gentle companion.   Her previous life wasn’t a very pleasant one.  Some friends said Honey thought she died and went to heaven when she came to live with us.  Now she is in heaven…we miss her every day.

Today my friend gave me this saying.  I cherish it and hope it is meaningful to you if you are a dog lover, protector and caregiver.

It came to me

That every time

I lose a dog

They take a piece

Of my heart with them,

And every new dog

Who comes into my life

Gifts me with a piece

Of their heart.

If I live long enough

All the components

Of my heart

Will be dog, and

I will become

As generous and

          Loving as they are.        

                         -Anonymous

I can only hope.

Rest in Peace, Honey girl.

Bonnie

 

Another Serendipidous Day...

Some days just turn out different than I planned.  After our Farmgirls sale, it takes quite a few days for everyone to either pick up or for me to deliver their earnings.  So today Hubby was in charge of hanging around so a couple of people could collect their paycheck and I took our cat, Norma Jean, to the vet.  She is licking her hair off herself limb by limb and recently she began on her electrolysis on her stomach.  

Not so much fun plus she looks like a sheared poodle from the back side.  After much conversation and $281, our new vet determined that her licking was psychosomatic and that she has a urinary tract infection.  I suggested if we situated a mirror so Norma could see how ridiculous she looks, maybe she would stop licking.  He had never thought to suggest that but said no harm in trying.  The infection will be another story of shooting amoxicillin down her throat twice daily.  Fun!

One dose down and only 19 to go...it didn't go too bad with the two of us handling the med detail.  Getting the bandage off her leg where they drew blood, now that's another deal.  She was a trooper through the whole process - not hardly a meow out of her...but trying to cut the bright blue bandage off - not so much!  Do you think they would charge me a full office visit to snip that bugger off???

Oh ya - I can't cut her back claws and they said they would and in the jungle of tests, she came out of there with her claws.  Darn!

That was my morning...feeling comatose upon arriving home, I stared at the computer for an hour or two.

Then it was off to the garden to plant...2 1/2 hours later and one or two wheelbarrows full of weeds - no planting done.  But now the plants are out of the screen house and on the deck steps.  Ugh...

Well - tomorrow's another day  We had planned a trip to see my niece's animal farm today but will have to reschedule.

Off to read - perhaps to nap!

Bonnie

Weather...

My Mom wasn't afraid of the weather...she would stand out on our front stoop and watch the clouds, fascinated by their movement and shapes and color.  I'm the same way mostly.  Last year we had such bad storms in the early part of July that I'm a little more leary now.

This tree shades our house in the
heat of the day...

Norma Jean watching the weather!

One of our White Pines with the middle torn out
 from the wind last year

We lost many trees...old trees.  Probably five or six trees came down in the winds and rain.  It is very sad when those huge trees fall... 

I never realized how shallow their root systems are.  At least they seem to have long roots that go vertically across the ground but when they tip over the roots that go downward seem short.  I suppose they break off but the root ball that shows is so small compared to the height of the tree.

Our Jack Pine with the top twisted off

My favorite color is green
 so my yard is precious to me!

This huge tree in the middle of our drive stands by itself
after its mate died a few years ago.  Love its shape.

We're in a severe thunderstorm watch that is blanketing the better part of the state.  I'm getting regular updates from Hubby on the details of the movement and severity.  He seems very worried.  I suppose I inherited my weather calmness from Mom.

Well - I guess I better go pay attention...they are interrupting Dateline every few minutes.  Maybe some hail...figures!  I finally got my tomato plants in the ground!  Just a little rain and some rumblin' so far...the birds are singing again.  I think its passing by us.

Take care,

Bonnie 

Time and flies...

Love those red geraniums!!!

Today I thought I would be doing something and then something else changed and so my friend and I cleaned dead flies out of all the windows in the new barn.  How's that for an opening line on my new post?  Thank goodness for friends...who else could you ask to de-fly speck your barn windows???

Even though we live on 10 acres, we have had few flies in the house throughout the past 12 years.  Maybe its because we have no cows, horses or chickens or pigs.  Just one dog and one cat and us.

However, all the flies in the neighborhood must like our new barn!  What's with that??? 

Well, I digress.  So armed with cleaner, paper towels and Windex, we persevered and tackled all nine windows and three doors. 

It looks great - now.  It's all part of getting ready for our Farmgirls June sale.  So we begin the task of making a path through all the stuff and arranging it into creative vignettes.  We open in two weeks for the first two weekends in June.

We have a theme item this first sale....vanities.  I count three in the barn now with three more on the way!  I'll do a feature on those vanities so you can see the variety.

I need to get some energy...any suggestions? I have miles to go before I sleep...

Just part of the annuals for my gardens
and some to plant at the cemetary next week 

Take care,

Bonnie

Lovely May Flowers...

Love these Wave Petunias - such a pretty pink!

Pansy faces are my favorite faces!

I collect old dilapidated birdhouses!

and last are my favorites...lovely lilacs!

I'm just beginning to collect my annuals for my gardens.  It's really difficult not to stop at every greenhouse I pass!  Spring is such a creative time.  Time to really dig in the dirt!

Have a wonderful Mother's Day!

Bonnie

Perfect Friday Night...

Who knew that Friday nights with the grandkids would be our perfect Friday nights???  John and Addy are here for a couple nights to keep us company and help us!  They love scrubbing stuff - its the water - all kids love water so why not put them to work???

It's turned cold so we are in the house now and Addy is playing with her baby doll who talks and cries and whimpers.  She also likes Barbie's (I don't)  but loves playing with her baby doll too.

All set for bed!

John is building little, tiny skateboards with little, tiny screwdrivers.  They are Tech Deck and are collectors items.  Pretty neat!

Working to connect wheels to board!

It is a perfect Friday night and now off to the livingroom to read our books!

Take care,
Bonnie

Sweet Sounds of the Country...

My crab apple in all its glory!

The bees were a buzzin' today!

There will lots of crab apples!

It's too hot in the living room so I'm sitting in the kitchen with the windows open, with no TV blaring - just me and the sounds of the birds coming in the windows.  The robins have built a nest right outside our living room area and we watched them build their nest.  The mother would bring just one strand of grass and place it in the nest and then would sit in the nest and wiggle around melding it into the form both parents had built of larger sticks and stuff.  I guess we've hit that age where nature astounds us each day. 

I hear an owl hooting in the background while sparrows, wrens and other song birds, warble and warble.  I can hear sounds of sticks or something small dropping into the lilac bush.  Hope the nest isn't falling apart!

I can't really identify all the sounds but its just a beautiful, peaceful evening with hardly a car going by.  A couple dogs just barked but other than that the birds are the major orchestra playing for me,  The flag is hanging straight down...not a breeze so all the sounds are clear and melodic.

Spring is the best but fall runs a close second in my book of favorite seasons.  Spring is so special because we've come through the cold, snowy, white season and then the first rain brings out the color of the grass...and lightning makes the green greener and soon things begin to pop through the dirt.  Nature begins to paint our world.

I noticed my new little bulbs have burst open - a little tulip wannabe looks so cute but its face looks at the dirt...I'll have to look into planting some other face that wants to see us as we pass.  The white French Lilac is beginning to open and of course, the crab apple tree is in full bloom...losing a few petals in the rain and wind yesterday.  But still beautiful today.

I need to get my little red bowl of grape jelly out to bribe the Baltimore Orioles to sit and lap up the sweetness.  They are such a burst of color and exciting every time they visit.

Time to finish up a project or two...hope you are enjoying a lovely evening too!

Take care,

Bonnie

Chilly and Chili...

April temperatures roller coaster and this year is no different.  One day its 70+ degrees and then it’s in the 40’s.  I don’t mind – if it’s warm I might be out fixing things for the sale in the pole barn and if its cooler I have enough inside sewing projects to keep me busy forever!!

I’m on a break right now from sewing – making chili for supper.  It just seems like that kind of day.  I never make anything too complicated so I here’s my recipe!

Upnorth Chili

1# ground sirloin

1 can black beans - rinsed
1 can kidney beans – undrained
1 can Rotel (mild or whatever strength you prefer)
1 sm. can tomato paste
1 sm. can tomato sauce
2 cups water
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp. Chili powder
1 clove garlic – minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Brown sirloin, add all other ingredients.  Simmer.  Garnish with sour cream, shredded cheese and raw onion.  Serve with corn bread – I used Jiffy brand -  easy and good.

It was really good if I do say so myself!!!

My daughter in law served chili with corn bread at Christmas.  It was very delicious and so non-traditional for this Swede, Norwegian, German!!!

Back to my sewing room so I can report back to you on my ruffled tote bags on my other blog - Farmgirl Musings...

Take care,

Bonnie

Staying creative...



from the blog Urban Comfort

Wandering around blogland I found this wonderful list at Urban Comfort.  There are days when even with all the helpful hints on Pinterest and in my many magazines and books, I still need help.  Maybe I need focus.  Well - anyway, I thought this list was interesting and helpful.  Hope you do too!

Take care and stay/get creative!!!  It's good for the soul.

Bonnie

Life is Good...

“Life is good” reads my Dove almond dark chocolate wrapper.  How did they know? “Take advantage of every free moment you have” is my second wrapper.  I try to do that most days.  These fortunes or day brighteners are always positive and uplifting.  Not only does Dove make the best affordable chocolate and the only dark chocolate I like, but this extra touch is kind of a nice touch.

We received some rain today - not really very much but every bit helps.  Yesterday I found and bought my first annuals….Pansies and two hardy Primroses!!!  Finally I can look out my kitchen window and see some pretty colorful faces smiling back at me!

Last week on another windy day, I spotted something in the grass.  When I walked over to see what it was, I discovered a Baltimore Oriole nest had blown down.  I had to show you how interesting it was to see up close.

It is woven so tight that I had a difficult time making a hole in the top
 so I could put the stick through so I could hang it back in the tree.
 I think part of it is made from Honey's hair and some of it is pine needles.
  It is an amazing structure.

According to Stan Tekiela, Birds of Minnesota Field Guide, Orioles are one of the last to arrive in spring (May) and first to leave in fall (September).  They often come back to the same area but it didn’t say if they use the sock-like nest again that the female builds.  She builds them on the end of a branch in a tall tree.



Here's the Dad sitting in the nest that Mom built!

Here's Mom looking kinda mad about having to build her own home,,,

I do feed them grape jelly in a bright red bowl that I’ve featured before that sits on the deck post directly in my line of sight when I'm at my computer.  Their songs are very distinctive and seeing them each year is a day brightener!!!

Life is good here in the country where I try to take advantage of every free moment!

Take care,

Bonnie

Funny Shoes and Spaghetti Pie

I don’t know about you but I just don’t sleep very many hours in a row anymore.  So when a nap seems inevitable, I just go with it.  After a two hour nap when I came home from shopping today, I needed to think of what to make for supper…fast!
 
I had a little bit of spaghetti sauce leftover – not enough for a regular two plate supper.  Some time this week, I read about a spaghetti pie.  I’ve made these before but its been a while and the recipe was in a magazine my daughter brought with her this weekend.  So I googled spaghetti pie.  I liked the looks of the Cooks.com Spaghetti pie so I chose the one they listed and pictured.  I actually had all the ingredients without skipping or substituting anything.  Now that’s a good day for me!!!  

It was so good…and now instead of hardly enough for one meal, I squeezed two meals out of a cup or so of leftover sauce and some noodles!!!

I didn't remember the picture until after supper!

While I was baking the pie, I was on Facebook and saw PatSloan’s picture of her new shoes.  Someone commented that she should have a shoe show and she invited her viewers to send in pictures of their shoes. 
 
Being a shoe freak, I sent in this picture of my Birki's that I love so much.  I have a bazillion shoes and hardly any of them are comfortable for any amount of time.  These are one of my comfortable pairs.

I tell my grand kids that now I know what shoe goes on the right foot!
Kind of like the old Garanimals!

 Well – that’s about all I’ve accomplished today.  I did get a couple of boxes in the mail.  That always makes a good day better!  I got my copy of Rachel Maddow’s new book from Amazon, Drift and some Mod Podge to use on the wig heads I got in the same box.  I don’t have any wigs but I do have some vintage hats that I want to embellish for the sale so I thought I’d use some sewing patterns or book pages or song sheets to Mod Podge onto the wig heads for display.  Love my Mod Podge!!!

I’m off to my sewing room to start or finish or plan another project!  Now that I’ve had some good midday sleep!  Yay!

Take care,

Bonnie

Spring Fever!



My little daisy-like purple door prize plant
 from our WOW weekend!

Oh my – spring fever!  I played around in the yard a bit – transplanted some hen and chicks into a clay saucer, carried some water out to the hen and chicks in my railroad tie, pulled some of last year’s foliage off my Autumn Joy sedums when I saw the new sprouts coming up, put up a different decorative flag, watered my dianthus in my old wheelbarrow and just enjoyed the warm, sunny breezes. 

Here's my Autumn Joy sedum
 poking their little heads up!

Hearty little dianthus reappear each year!

My baby chicks!!!

Of course, now I can hardly breathe because of the dust and pollen and whatever else affects my asthma/allergies!  But it’s all worth it after so many months of winter…even though it was a mild one here in MN.



Hubby is sick with another cold but he came out and sat in the nice, warm sun for a few minutes.  He never got over the cough from the last cold a couple months ago and now has a dilly of a head cold deepening his already very deep voice.

 

My rhubarb unfurling its leaves!

I walked around to my other raised beds and found things popping up through the ground.  The rhubarb is unfurling its leaves – I love to watch them turn from the red buds that first come through, to the deepest, darkest green to their regular green when its ready to pick and bake something wonderful like rhubarb cake…yum.

My girls and I had a great time at the Women Only Weekend (WOW).  I hope we can go again next year – it’s our chance to spend quality Mother/Daughter time together.  We eat, drink, shop and have some really good laughs – the kind that leaves us out of breath.  Last year we all brought our computers but this year we spent time playing cards.  It was so much fun.

Time to walk around my sewing room and see what might inspire me!

Take care,

Bonnie