Wednesday, October 31, 2012

It was a pretty quiet day around here. After being gone all day yesterday, I spent my time today getting the bulk of the packing done and making lists to make sure we have everything and forget nothing.  I also took some time to catch up with emails and finances.

John found an outside job he'd overlooked and spent some time today cleaning the outside grill and then removed more ashes from the outside furnace.  He wants the ashes to be as low as possible before we leave, so every day or so, he clears more out.  JD had to take his car into the shop to get a new mufler installed, so John followed him into town to give him a ride back to the shop. 

Our evening was spent watching Survivor and a couple of other favorite TV shows.  Tomorrow we head back to Bemidji for John's annual eye examine.

 

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Over the past couple of weeks I have been bothered with allergies and developed a cough I just couldn't shake.  I finally decided to give the doctor a call and got an appointment for this morningA mammogram was also scheduled for this afternoon, so that meant an entire day in Bemidji for me. Since I had over three hours between appointments, I used that time for completing some errands and doing some shopping.

First stop was the doctor's office where I explained my symptoms and he ordered a chest x-ray to rule out pneumonia.  The x-rays were clear so he gave me a prescription for an inhaler to use four times a day, and cough medicine.   From there I dropped some used clothing at the Goodwill shop and then stopped at BK to grab some lunch.  I still had almost two hours before I needed to be back for the mammogram, so I made a stop at Target to pick up a new blanket for our bed in Texas and then spent the rest of time at the mall.

I arrived early for my appointment, and went right in for the test.  I got a clean report and don't have to go back for another year.  My next stop in Bemidji was Wal Mart to pick up some milk and yogurt and then I hit the road to Bagley where I stopped at our local pharmacy to pick up the prescriptions faxed over by the doctor. 

This morning John went up to Matt's job site and hauled the old windows he replaced to the landfill and, after lunch, worked in the shop with JD helping him stain some assembled product.  The rest of his day was spent puttering around the house and checking the weather on the internet to see if we can leave next Wednesday morning.   

 

 

Monday, October 29, 2012

This morning was cloudy and cold, but this afternoon the clouds moved out.  It sure felt good to see the sun after several gloomy days and have it a little warmer.

John discovered a couple of outside jobs that he had overlooked, so  this morning he covered the air conditioner and the tiller.  We keep thinking we have everything winterized and put away, but then we find something we missed.  I did some laundry again and sorted through more winter clothes.  We should have the majority of the packing done this week.

John and I spent a quiet evening watching TV and following the hurricane. We have good friends who live in Beach Haven on Long Beach Island off the south Jersey coast.  We were watching the news this afternoon and saw photos of their island town.  The ocean had breached the sand dune barriers and was pouring into the streets.  We're sure they were under mandatory evacuation and are safe and sound with their kids inland. 

Sunday, October 28, 2012

When we looked outside this morning, we saw about three inches of snow on the ground.  Where did that come from?  Thought only snow showers were in the forecast overnight--there was no mention of accumulation.

We thought it best to take the four wheel drive pickup to church this morning as we weren't sure how the main highway would be. There were a few icy spots, but for the most part, the roads were beginning to dry off.

After church, we headed up to Matt and Sara's for our annual fall farewell/birthday gathering.  The grandkids have their birthdays while we are away, so we celebrate them now before we leave. Sara cooked a wonderful turkey dinner so everyone had plenty to eat.  We visited for a while and then the birthday kids opened their gifts.  Following that, the guys watched the Chicago Bears game and the gals played cards.  JD and Josh were heading off to a concert this evening, so the party broke up by late afternoon and John and I came home. 



Cupcake birthday cake
 
The birthday kids -
 Jenni, Hanna, Josh, and Sam

 Won't be long before all the
grandkids are taller than Grandmom 

To our friends and family on the East Coast - please stay safe.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

We had another day of cold, cloudy weather with temps reaching the low 30's.  John spent some time in the shop this morning lacquering the trim Matt dropped off the other day and then helped me finish sorting through the rest of the food in the pantry.  We only have a few items left that we should use up over the next week.  I baked some cookies today and that got rid of the last of the flour and brown sugar.  John has just about everything winterized on the outside so we are in pretty good shape to leave after the 6th of November.



Friday, October 26, 2012

We had a little bit of everything today as far as the weather goes--sun, clouds, sleet, snow and high winds.  The temperature this morning was 28 degrees, but the wind made it feel like 17.  Needless to say, it wasn't a very pleasant one to be outside, but John did manage to get a few things done in spite of the cold.

First thing this morning, he worked down in the shop moving pallets around and made room to store the lawnmowers and four wheeler.  Since we had a good amount of rain over the past couple of days, John decided to give the new raspberry plot another pass with the tiller before putting it away for the winter.  The ground was a little muddy, but he was able to get it turned over once more.

My day was spent doing laundry and getting more clothes sorted and packed.  I'm also looking at expiration dates on canned goods, etc. to see what we need to take and what can be left home to use when we get back in the spring.  As we get boxes and crates packed, we stack them in the den so we have everything in one place and, hopefully, won't forget anything important.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

We didn't have any rain today, but the clouds persisted with temps only reaching the mid thirties.  The winds were also quite strong and that made it feel even colder.  Our lows tonight are suppose to reach down into the low twenties--looks like winter is coming fast to our area.

I spent the day cleaning our bedroom, changing bed linens, and sorting more clothes for Texas.  Matt came over this morning and John helped him unload some trim pieces into the shop where John will stain them over the weekend if JD is not using that area.  There were quite a few apples left in the fridge, so to use them up, we made an apple crisp this afternoon. We also spent some time working on the computer and reading.     

 

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

We had another wet, soggy day which once again kept us inside.  Matt stopped over early this morning and spent several hours visiting with JD and John in the shop.  His work has come to a complete standstill due to the weather so he has some free time on his hands.

I did some light cleaning around the house and packed a few more things for Texas.  We received a check that needed to be deposited and the title for the white truck to take to its new owner, so we decided to deliver the title and then make a quick run to Bemidji to do the banking.  With those jobs out of the way, we stopped at BK for a quick supper and then made a stop at the grocery store to pick up a couple of needed items.  We are buying only what we need as we're trying to get our food used up before we leave.

Our evening was spent watching Survivor and a few other favorite TV shows before calling it a day.  

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

It was a very quiet day for us.  We had low hanging clouds and either rain or misting the entire day along with cold temps.  First thing this morning I headed up to Sara's for a haircut and then made a stop at the dental office in Bagley to pick up some coffee beans for a friend of ours in Fort Clark.  The husband of one of the dentists has the coffee bean business, so I made arrangements to pick them up at their office. 

John did manage to do a little more clean up work outside before calling it quits and spending the rest of the day inside watching some TV and working on the computer.  I got the birthday presents ready for Sunday and listed a few more items for sale on the internet.  The weather forecast doesn't look much better and by the end of the week our highs are only going to reach into the mid 30's.  Definitely time to head south.



 

Monday, October 22, 2012

We were up and out of the house before 8 a.m. in order to get to Bemdji on time to return the brush mower to Acme Rentals.  Once that was returned we headed off to Perkins for a nice leisurely breakfast.  From there we took care of some banking and then went to Wal Mart to finish up our birthday shopping.  We're celebrating the fall birthdays with a family dinner on Sunday at Matt's so we needed to get it done.  John and I made a couple of stops in Bagley to mail my e-bay sales and to make arrangements at the local newspaper to stop delivery for the winter. 

This afternoon John spent quite a bit of time working out in the yard cleaning up around the wood stove and woodpile. I spent some time answering emails and finishing up in the office double checking to make sure I had everything packed from there that I needed to take south.  Our evening was spent watching the debate and working on the computer.

 

 

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Since John had to return the brush mower to Acme Rentals first thing tomorrow morning, he decided to take the time this morning to mow more of the tall grass and weeds behind the shop.  The area isn't completely  cleared, but it's good enough for this fall.  With the rains over the past several days, the driveway was soft enough to smooth out the ruts.  John hooked the drag to the rear of the four wheeler and gave the driveway a treatment.  When the big white truck was pulled out, it left deep ruts that needed to be smoothed out before the ground froze. 


 
 Smooth driveway and clear view of 
north fields with truck gone


Water filling pond again

After lunch, John took the mower up to JD's where he used it to trim some high brush in front of his placeWhen he got back home, he cleaned the mower up and got it ready to return first thing in the morning.  The rest of our day was spent watching the Vikings win along with several other NFL games.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Even though the morning was overcast, the rain had finally stopped.  Right after breakfast, John headed out to begin the job of mowing the tall grasses around the property.  He got the front field done this morning and worked a little on the ground behind the shop this afternoon, taking several breaks throughout the day to watch some college football.  John's going to do more mowing tomorrow if the weather permits, but it's a big job that will take a while to complete.  At least the tall grass will be away from the buildings and that reduces the fire danger.

While John was busy outside, I installed a new financial software update on both the PC and laptop and got the finances current.  I then did some more packing and sorting of items to take south.  John was pretty stiff and tired this evening, so we just relaxed watching some college football and working on the computer.

Friday, October 19, 2012

We had another day with rain and cooler temps that kept us inside once again.  This morning John took JD to pickup his truck from the repair shop and while he was there, he happened to mention to the owner that he had a truck he wanted to sell.  It's the truck we used in the business to haul wood, parts, and product to wholesale markets.  Mr. B came right out after John got home, and bought the truck on the spot.  He then came back with a wrecker and hauled the big white truck away.  It's so good to have that out of the yard.



This afternoon we worked on some birthday presents and got more packing done for Texas.  Rain is suppose to move out tomorrow for a few days--it will be nice to see some sunshine again.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

The rain of yesterday continued overnight and all day so we spent a pretty quiet one inside.  John did manage to get to the shop a couple of times to work on a birthday gift and I did some light cleaning and laundry.  It seems strange to have two rain filled days in a row after spending weeks without a cloud in the sky.  With this steady rain, the pond by the shop is beginning to get big puddles--hopefully we'll get our pond back.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Our beautiful sunny and warm weather came to an end today.  We woke to clouds and soon an all day rain began.  John had planned to rent a brush mower today to clean up the area behind the shop, but he had to call and cancel for today and rescheduled for Saturday.

Since we were almost out of milk and needed a few other grocery items, we thought it was a good day to go to Bemidji.  We left a little before noon and stopped at BK for some lunch before gassing up the Honda and hitting the stores.  John and I also stopped at Menards to exchange an empty propane tank.  Now we'll be set for grilling next
summer.  

Our evening was spent watching Survivor and a couple of other favorite Wednesday night TV shows.  We are now at three weeks before we head south.

 

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

We had another beautiful day with sunny skies and  temps that were warm enough for us to be outside in our shirt sleeves.  This weather is only going to hang around for one more day and then it will turn chilly again.

Right after breakfast, John headed into town for his dental appointment.  It was time once again for his annual cleaning and check-up--he also came away with no cavities and is good to go for another year.

While he was gone, I spent some time in the office working on finances and getting together what we will need from the office in Texas.  Since the weather was so nice, we decided it was a good day to wash the windows.  After such a dry summer, the widows were covered with a film of dust that took a little extra scrubbing to remove.  John did a good job and now our widows sparkle. 


 

Monday, October 15, 2012

We had a rather dreary day with clouds, a few sprinkles, and cool temps.  First thing this morning, John cleaned out the chimney on our outdoor wood stove and wrapped the trunks of the young trees and mulched around the apple trees.  While he was busy with that, I headed off to my semi-annual dental appointment.  I had no cavities so I don't need to go back for another six months.  John heads off for his annual dental checkup tomorrow morning.


 This afternoon John helped JD get the snowplowing truck into the shop for a new water pump so it will be ready to go in case of a snow storm.  When he got back, we headed outside to tackle the, hopefully, final outdoor chore--wrapping the shrubs.  The snow weighs them  down, so we wrap them in plastic fencing to help keep the branches nice and tight and keep them from breaking.






 A friend of ours from Fort Clark had put a photo of our Texas home on her blog the other day.  Everything looked so nice and green--this is what we are seeing.  We are now into what I call our Icky Brown season.  Some snow would improve the scenery, but I rather have that wait until after we head south.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

We had a pretty quiet Sunday--church this morning and watching the NFL this afternoon.  Not a good football day for us as the Vikings and Eagles both loss close games.

This afternoon between games, John took a few minutes to store the outboard and trawling motors in the basement.  I took some time to work on birthday presents as we have several fall birthdays coming up.  That was pretty much our day--like I said, pretty quiet.

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Today was absolutely beautiful with bright blue skies and much warmer temps--we reached the low 60's and, after having highs in the 30's, it felt wonderful.  The warm weather actually brought out some flies and ladybugs again.

With the light snowfall and rain showers of this past week, John thought the ground might be soft enough to till the garden and his new spot for raspberries.  The garden tilled up real nice, but his new raspberry patch will take a little more work as the moisture didn't get too deep.

 New raspberry patch east of garden

 Garden put to bed for the winter

John and I spent the afternoon taking care of the outdoor chores that had been put off due to the cold, wet weather.  John cleaned the leaves out of the house gutters and then hosed them out to clear the downspouts.  We bagged up the cushions from the porch furniture and stored them away along with the wind chimes and plants.  I then gave the carpet a good vacuuming and we brought in the other deck furniture onto the porch to store for the winter.  The trees around the house are just about bare, so I swept the deck clear of leaves while John drained the hoses and got them stored away.  There are just a few containers in the garage that need to get stored away and then we have the outside ready for winter.


 John getting the gutters and downspouts cleared

While we were standing outside, John happened to look into the field north of our house and saw a turkey.  I ran inside to get the cameras and we stalked it getting some good photos.  We don't know what kind of turkey it was, but think it belonged to the neighbors as it didn't seem to spook when we got closer to it.  When it was done walking around behind the shop, it headed back down the hill toward their place.


 After a busy day, we spent a quiet evening watching some TV and working on the computer.


 
 

Friday, October 12, 2012

We had another very chilly day with strong breezes.  This morning's low was nineteen degrees with the highs only reaching into the forties.  It's suppose to warm up into the fifties over the next few days--we certainly hope so.  We need to spend some time outside to finish clearing the porch and winterizing the shrubs.

Matt call first thing this morning to ask John to accompany him to a customer's house to look at what the home owner wanted done so he could give a bid.  This job, if Matt should get it, would be putting an addition on the house.  When they got back to our place, Matt stayed and visited for a while.

John bundled up and did some work in the garden cutting the grape vines back and then put our potato harvest into storage containers.  I kept busy in the office doing some sorting and cleaning.  We were out of milk and cereal so we decided to make a quick run to Bemidji to restock the few items we needed.  Our first stop was the mall where I managed to find a nice dressy jacket --best of all, I had a coupon for 40% off.  From there we went to our favorite pizza parlor for some supper and, after eating, headed to Wal Mart to pick up the few items we needed.  As we plan to leave in about three weeks, we are trying to keep our purchases at a minimum so we can use up most of our food before we hit the road south.

Our evening was pretty quiet--Matt and Rachel stopped over so she borrow John's 22 rifle so she can practice shooting.  Rae is taking her firearm safety course so she can rifle hunt this fall.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

We had an inch or so of snow overnight but, with the sunshine this morning, it didn't take long for it to melt.  Clouds came back in so the day didn't warm up very much--temps only reached the upper 30's and a strong breeze made it feel even colder.

John was pretty tired after working with Matt, so this morning we both slept in an extra hour or so. JD needed some help in the shop today, so John spent a few hours helping him with sanding tops and staining.  I did a few more loads of laundry and gathered more items for Texas.  John has had a piece of exercise equipment set up in the den for most of the summer, so today we re-arranged some furniture in the office and move the equipment into there.  Once the den was opened up again, I gave it a good cleaning.

This evening was a varsity football game and Parents' Night.  I opted out of going, but John donned his heavy snow pants, hooded sweatshirt, vest, and hunting jacket and headed off to watch.  John just returned home and told me the Bears were victorious once again and that he was glad he wore so many layers of clothes.

Matt, Sam, and Sara at Parents' Night

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Today started off with clear skies, sunny and chilly.  John went off bright and early to work with Matt.  They worked the entire day and got the sliding door installed and finished up all the interior window trim. That portion of the job is complete and now they have to wait for the home owner to make a decision about rock for the front the house.  John will have some time off now and that's good as we need to get some chores completed around here before we leave for the winter.

Even though the day stated sunny, by mid morning the clouds and showers moved back in, so instead of cleaning the porch, I decided it was a good time to list a few things on ebay and get some laundry done.  I also did some more sorting of clothes for Texas.  After supper we watched Survivor and a few other shows before calling it a day.

 The trees by the drive are just about
the only ones with leaves

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Our weather was constantly changing today--it started off with rain, then snow showers, and finally a little bit of sunshine.  John and Matt were able to get in a full day on the job and will finish up the siding and windows tomorrow. 

I took some time today to work on the finances and got them up-to-date.  I had bought a new mop and cleaner for the kitchen floor and decided since John was gone for the day, it was a good time to give the floor a thorough cleaning.  

Our days are pretty quiet now that football and volleyball are done for the season.  Now the countdown for Texas really begins--we hope to leave right after election day.  

Monday, October 8, 2012

Even though there was possible rain in today's forecast, John left bright and early to meet up with Matt on the job site. They managed to install a big picture window before they had to call it quits because of rain which hung around for most of the day.  This is the first rainy day we have had in over three months and was much appreciated.

Since John got home early, we took some time this afternoon to pack up some of the foods we canned over the summer and got them ready to haul to Texas.  John also helped JD in the shop making some lawn signs for the Clearbrook school referendum.  I continued sorting through clothing to pack and, with the day being so damp and chilly, made a stew for supper.  We spent the evening watching some TV shows we recorded earlier and the NFL game. 



 

Sunday, October 7, 2012

We had another sunny day with calmer winds and slightly warmer temps.  There are just a few pockets of snow left from last week's storm.  

Our church had a special music program this evening followed by cake in the fellowship hall.  There were 12 tables, each representing a month of the year and decorated according to the season or holiday in that month. Sara and I went together on November and, after church this morning, we decorated our table with Thanksgiving and fall items.  After the program, folks found their birthday month and sat at that table.  Instead of cake, we served pumpkin and apple pies and there wasn't very much left of either one at the end of the evening.  The ladies did a wonderful job of decorating both the tables and the cakes.

We spent a pretty quiet day watching the NFL games between church this morning and this evening.  The Eagles lost, but the Vikes won, so we are at least half way happy today.


Saturday, October 6, 2012

After stormy weather for two days, we finally had blue skies with plenty of sunshine to melt the snow; however, the temps only reached the low 40's.

 We slept in this morning and then John made us a nice breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast, coffee, and tea.  Since neither of us had to be anywhere early today, we had a very leisurely morning.  John finished up his project in the shop while I worked on gathering items for our winter in Texas.

The Clearbrook varsity team played this afternoon so John went to the game--I opted out and stayed at home baking cookies and doing some reading.  I also took a few photos of the snow before it melted away.  The Bears won their homecoming game with a score of 36-16.



 

Our garden
 

 Toppled flag pole 

John got the flag and pole down this morning and feels the pole can be repaired, but he'll store them for the winter and get the flag back up in the spring.  By this afternoon the snow had melted and we're back to brown once again.  There are only a few leaves remaining on the trees so it looks more like winter than fall.

Friday, October 5, 2012

We had cold temps and strong winds overnight.  Our flag pole, which has stood anchored to our deck for the last 30 years, snapped in half sometime during the night.  The flag is hung up in the trees while the top half of the pole is leaning on the deck railing.  The weather was just too miserable today to deal with it--we'll have to wait until the temps warm up and the winds die down.

This morning John continued to work on his project in the shop while I did some cleaning up around the house.  Matt called and asked if John would like to ride along to Fargo where he had to pick up some football gear for Sam and was gone until late this afternoon.  He told me that once you got west of Bagley there was no snow at all.  The Homecoming football game was canceled for this evening and will be played tomorrow afternoon.  The visiting team is from the area of the state that got 17" of snow so hopefully they will be able to be make it by then.  

We spent a pretty quiet evening watching some TV and working on the computer trying to organize more photos.

 

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Last night with a winter storm in the forecast for late this afternoon, we decided we would get the hoses inside, remove the cushions on the porch chairs, and  get the rest of the autumn chores out of the way.  The store arrived early and we woke up to pouring rain which soon turned to snow.  So much for getting ready for winter. John managed to haul the hoses into the garage so they wouldn't freeze--as for everything else, we'll have to wait until the weekend when it's suppose to warm up and the snow should all melt away.

Since the storm lasted all day with winds up to 40 mph, we were pretty much housebound today.  John spent some time in the shop working on a project while I baked bread and did laundry.  Hanna's volleyball game for this evening was canceled--the kids even got out of school early this afternoon.  We got about 4 inches of snow in our area with much greater amounts to the north of us.  The snow and rain were a blessing since it helped put out the wildfires.  We couldn't smell or see any smoke in the air today.


This is what it looked like at 10 a.m.
when the rain changed over to snow
 
 

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

John was up and out at the usual time to meet Matt at the job site.  I left the house soon afterward as I had a doctor's appointment early this morning to get a followup blood test.  While I was in Bemidji, I did some banking, got the car washed and gassed up, and went to several different stores looking for a down blanket for our bed.  I was finally successful at Target.  

When I first stepped outside this morning, I could smell smoke.  I thought it was from our outdoor furnace and didn't give it a second thought.  As I got closer to Bemidji I discovered that it was smoke from several wild fires to the north of us.  The smoke was so thick at times that drivers had their headlights on.  When I returned home, John was already here--the guys quite early as the window they need to install still hadn't been delivered.  It should be here sometime tomorrow.

I took this photo out our living room
widow this afternoon--that's not fog,
but smoke.

The weather forecast is calling for a winter storm warning for the northern part of our state, so hopefully we'll get some moisture to help control the fires and put them out. 

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

I spent today with my sister-in-law over in Grand Forks doing some shopping and catching up.  Her husband, Leroy, left yesterday on a 12 day fishing trip and she wanted to hit the stores and do some visiting today.  We left our place a little after 8:30 a.m. and were in the mall an hour and a half later.  Carol had plenty of coupons for the different stores, so we were able to get some very good deals.  The two of us had a great day--we hadn't been able to get together for our annual shopping spree for the past couple of years, so we made up for lost time today.

While I was gone, John spent his day helping JD do some staining in the shop and then went up to Matt's to cut more firewood and haul it home.  Matt also stopped in this morning after taking Sam to the chiropractor where he got his back adjusted and seems to be doing much better. 

After being gone all day, it felt good to relax this evening and watch some TV before heading off to bed. 

Monday, October 1, 2012

Our weather cooled down a little overnight and we had another beautiful fall day.  The winds were much stronger and the leaves have been falling like snow.  The trees in our backyard are just stripped of leaves, but the Poplars are at their peak golden colors now.

This morning John helped JD in the shop making stakes for yard signs promoting the Clearbrook school referendum which will be on the ballot in November.  After making applesauce into the evening last night, my morning was spent cleaning up the sticky mess in the kitchen and getting all the canning supplies stored away for next year.

Sam had a game this afternoon in East Grand Forks, so John and I left after lunch to do a little shopping at Sam's Club before we went to the game.  The Bears played extremely well and won the game 30-12.  Sam scored two touchdowns and had an interception.  He only played about half of the game because while scoring the first touchdown, he went to dodge a tackle and pulled a muscle in his back.  Matt helped him stretch out and found some ointment in the medical kit to rub on Sam's back.  After more stretching and massage Sam felt he could return to the game in the third quarter.  He looked a little crooked standing on the field, but he managed some outstanding plays.  A trip to the chiropractor is probably on the schedule for tomorrow.


Sam starting run for touchdown
 




On our way home we stopped at McDonald's for a late supper and when we got home, watched the Bears beat Dallas.  That means Sam and Matt are very happy campers tonight.


   

Roofing Being Done Everywhere!!

John and I have been keeping pretty busy over these last several weeks.  Our weather has turned quite warm, but the nights cool down very ni...