Some Happy Things...
Sometimes it might be good to write even if I haven't got a lot to say.
For July, today was quite beautiful, and not as oppressively hot as some July days can be. I felt like being lazy, but committed to at least an hour in the garden. The weeds are beyond redemption but I still have to try. (I'm NOT going to post pictures---too ashamed of the weeds.)
But, as I said, the day was so nice, and once I got started, the momentum carried me along. My hour commitment nearly immediately became a resolve to work at least two hours. They flew by.
I have a serious sensitivity to chiggers, so I was working after spraying with bug spray. But bug spray is not reliably effective for me. I knew that I could work for a few hours before I would have bites. I also knew that a shower after working was the only foolproof method to prevent the bites. Even if I reapply bug spray, a half day is as long as I can expect to remain bite free before the shower has to happen.
So, as I worked, I kept thinking, "I'll just do this one more thing before I shower, because I'm not touching a blade of grass after the shower." The things included mowing the last third of the yard that I didn't have time for yesterday, mulching until I'd used up the straw Chuck had moved to the garden, weeding some areas I couldn't mulch yet, watering rhubarb, planters, and some of the flower beds, and picking flowers for the house.
That last bit is especially good because I can enjoy it without walking on grass to look at it again and again. But the two hours had extended to nearly four. It's such a good thing when the work is fun enough to keep going.
Other good things lately...
We celebrated a safe wheat harvest yesterday evening with the rest of the Regier family along with our landlords, our extra help, and all their families. This event is called Thresher Ice Cream and is a tradition from long before I joined this family. It was our turn to organize and Chuck's mom graciously offered her yard and large dining room as our gathering site. Everyone brought either sandwiches, cake or chips to share and the farmers turned ice cream. There was vanilla frozen yogurt, tutti frutti lactose free, strawberry banana, and I made my mother's recipe for a custard base vanilla.
People outdid themselves on the tempting sandwiches and mouth watering cakes, but for me the best part of the evening was the relaxing conversation. The evening was so mild, the wind was low, the moon was nearly full, and hardly any mosquitos. People stayed and visited until well past dark.
Last weekend was a marker for Chuck and I as we passed our Fortieth Wedding Anniversary.
To celebrate, Chuck planned a weekend for us, keeping the details secret from me. What fun! We began with a meal at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants in Newton, Acapulco.
Then on to Lindsborg and a bed and breakfast near the campus of Bethany College. It was a lovely historic home with great breakfasts, and lots of information on things to see and do around Lindsborg.
So we saw and did as many of those things as we could in two days. We hiked and swam at Kanopolis reservoir.
We didn't take swimming pics, lucky for you, but we did take hiking pics.
We made it back in time for a very Swedish dinner at the highly recommended Swedish Crown Restaurant, complete with lingonberry lemonade, lingonberry garnish, and lingonberry sauce on our dessert. Then back out to capture a few more historic sites before sunset.
First, Mushroom Rocks State Park, the smallest state park at less than 5 acres, but with quite impressive rock formations.
Then the dugout inhabited by a Swedish immigrant family for six years in the 1800's. This one took about 5-10 minutes of our time to walk in, look, and walk back out, but it was interesting.
And then we hustled on up to Coronado Heights to watch the sunset, which was definitely worth it. It was such a nice evening, and a beautiful sunset. (which we did not photograph).
This is a historic site, but the buildings are from the depression era works projects, rather than from the explorer, Coronado. But he was here once.
The site is at a high point and is a popular spot for watching the sunset. We were told it is a popular spot for the younger set to park after dark as well, but we didn't stay to find out.
The next day we had another lovely breakfast and then skipped the planned museum visit in favor of a matinee before returning home to find a happy greeting waiting for us from Ben, Andrea, and Charlie, who house sat while we were gone.
For July, today was quite beautiful, and not as oppressively hot as some July days can be. I felt like being lazy, but committed to at least an hour in the garden. The weeds are beyond redemption but I still have to try. (I'm NOT going to post pictures---too ashamed of the weeds.)
But, as I said, the day was so nice, and once I got started, the momentum carried me along. My hour commitment nearly immediately became a resolve to work at least two hours. They flew by.
I have a serious sensitivity to chiggers, so I was working after spraying with bug spray. But bug spray is not reliably effective for me. I knew that I could work for a few hours before I would have bites. I also knew that a shower after working was the only foolproof method to prevent the bites. Even if I reapply bug spray, a half day is as long as I can expect to remain bite free before the shower has to happen.
So, as I worked, I kept thinking, "I'll just do this one more thing before I shower, because I'm not touching a blade of grass after the shower." The things included mowing the last third of the yard that I didn't have time for yesterday, mulching until I'd used up the straw Chuck had moved to the garden, weeding some areas I couldn't mulch yet, watering rhubarb, planters, and some of the flower beds, and picking flowers for the house.
That last bit is especially good because I can enjoy it without walking on grass to look at it again and again. But the two hours had extended to nearly four. It's such a good thing when the work is fun enough to keep going.
Other good things lately...
We celebrated a safe wheat harvest yesterday evening with the rest of the Regier family along with our landlords, our extra help, and all their families. This event is called Thresher Ice Cream and is a tradition from long before I joined this family. It was our turn to organize and Chuck's mom graciously offered her yard and large dining room as our gathering site. Everyone brought either sandwiches, cake or chips to share and the farmers turned ice cream. There was vanilla frozen yogurt, tutti frutti lactose free, strawberry banana, and I made my mother's recipe for a custard base vanilla.
People outdid themselves on the tempting sandwiches and mouth watering cakes, but for me the best part of the evening was the relaxing conversation. The evening was so mild, the wind was low, the moon was nearly full, and hardly any mosquitos. People stayed and visited until well past dark.
Last weekend was a marker for Chuck and I as we passed our Fortieth Wedding Anniversary.
To celebrate, Chuck planned a weekend for us, keeping the details secret from me. What fun! We began with a meal at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants in Newton, Acapulco.
Then on to Lindsborg and a bed and breakfast near the campus of Bethany College. It was a lovely historic home with great breakfasts, and lots of information on things to see and do around Lindsborg.
So we saw and did as many of those things as we could in two days. We hiked and swam at Kanopolis reservoir.
We didn't take swimming pics, lucky for you, but we did take hiking pics.
 |
| Some purple flowers shaped like fireworks, surrounded by poison ivy. |
We made it back in time for a very Swedish dinner at the highly recommended Swedish Crown Restaurant, complete with lingonberry lemonade, lingonberry garnish, and lingonberry sauce on our dessert. Then back out to capture a few more historic sites before sunset.
First, Mushroom Rocks State Park, the smallest state park at less than 5 acres, but with quite impressive rock formations.
Then the dugout inhabited by a Swedish immigrant family for six years in the 1800's. This one took about 5-10 minutes of our time to walk in, look, and walk back out, but it was interesting.
And then we hustled on up to Coronado Heights to watch the sunset, which was definitely worth it. It was such a nice evening, and a beautiful sunset. (which we did not photograph).
This is a historic site, but the buildings are from the depression era works projects, rather than from the explorer, Coronado. But he was here once.
The site is at a high point and is a popular spot for watching the sunset. We were told it is a popular spot for the younger set to park after dark as well, but we didn't stay to find out.
The next day we had another lovely breakfast and then skipped the planned museum visit in favor of a matinee before returning home to find a happy greeting waiting for us from Ben, Andrea, and Charlie, who house sat while we were gone.
Comments