Fair Entry Day

John and I were up early and managed to get our walk completed by 7:30 this morning.  During our walk we had to watch out for the big dump trucks with tandem trailers that were dumping new gravel on our road.  The deep, loose gravel made walking a little harder, but also gave us a more strenuous exercise.

First thing this morning I started a loaf of bread to enter in the fair.  It takes approximately two and a half hours to run through the dough cycle.  When it was done, I took it out of the machine and found the dough ball to be very small in size.  What was wrong?  Then it hit me--I forgot to put in the yeast.  So, I started a second loaf and made sure to add all of the ingredients this time.  Only problem, I was cutting it close to have it ready by the time we needed to leave to help take entries and set up the Original Arts building.  After the bread finished baking, I had to set it out on the porch so it would cool fast enough to cut in half (can only display half a loaf), place it on a paper plate, and wrap it in a plastic bag.  I was successful and now my bread is entered in the fair.

This morning John, Jo, and the kids came down to get some of our strawberry plants.  John is going to redo our beds and since Jo wants to start one, he helped her dig up some of ours.  While they were here, JD hooked up our new Blue Ray player--still needs a little tweaking, but we have to get a different cable before all will be set up. 
John went up to their place and helped plant the strawberries and ended up staying for lunch.  

Around four we loaded up the truck with all our fair projects and headed into town.  Today was perfect weather for working at the fair and we were very busy helping folks with their entries.  Once the deadline for entries was past, we spent the rest of our time hanging photos, oil paintings, and setting up other displays.  We finally returned home a little after 10 p.m.  Needless to say, we are both pretty tired.  Tomorrow I head back to Pain Management for my second injection.  I need it after all the physical work today.
 

Another Busy Day

John and I managed to get a walk in this morning even though the forecast was for showers.  We never did get any rain, though the clouds were in and out most of the day with very pleasant temps.

After breakfast, I had an appointment for a haircut at Sara's.  Since I didn't drive the new car yesterday, John had to show me how to adjust the seats and what a couple of the buttons and dials did.  We both still don't how to adjust the rear-view mirror, so we need to read more of the owner's manual this evening.

When I got home, John left to haul a load of metal cabinets and other items to the landfill.  While he was gone, Matt and Sam arrived.  We had a wooden swing and slide set in our backyard and, since the kids are no longer using it, we decided to donate it to the church.  The guys dismantled it and then loaded it onto a goose-neck trailer Matt had hauled down to our place.  John arrived just as they were loading and then they came in the house to visit for a bit before hauling out our big, old TV.  Since the land-fill was still open, John hauled the TV off--it's nice to have that gone and now we have a nice flat screen one in the livingroom.  Direct TV is coming on Friday to hook up HD.

I spent most of my day trying to bring some order to our home office and working on the finances.  I let them go while traveling and haven't had a chance to get them caught up.  Today was the day for that.  A good amount of time was also spent on the phone with Direct TV trying to negotiate a better price and finally, after several calls, I was victorious.  

This evening I finally got around to labeling my photos for the fair which starts tomorrow.  Wednesday is entry day and John and I are scheduled to start at 4 p.m. to help set up the art work for Thursday's judging.  Tomorrow is going to be a pretty busy day. 

   

Quiet Sunday

We had another beautiful day weather-wise with cool temps, low humidity, and plenty of sunshine.  John and I had a leisurely breakfast before getting cleaned up and heading off for church.

Last night I called JD and asked if he could come down to our place this afternoon and help us figure out our TV.  He and Josh arrived after lunch and spent an hour or so hooking it up to our sound system and other devices.  Once everything was up and running, the guys watched the last of the NASCAR race.  JD and Josh then headed down to the shop to load up the piles of newspaper that were left over from packing and shipping and hauled them away.   I did a couple of loads of laundry today as I hadn't done any since we returned from our trip and we were running out of clean clothing. The remainder of our day was pretty quiet--watched a little golf, did some reading, and just relaxed.  With the county fair this week, we'll be pretty busy.

Busy Day

John and I were up nice and early so we could be on the road by 7 a.m.  JD was participating in a triathlon in Walker which is about an hour or so south of us.  We stopped in Bemidji for a quick breakfast at McDonald's and after an hour's drive, arrived at the Walker City Park which was the starting point for the race.  The race included swimming a quarter of a mile, biking 17 miles, and then running 2.8 miles.  The weather was on the chilly side with winds that increased as the morning wore on.  We found JD and visited while he got ready for the swimming part of the race.  The wind was strong out of the north and that meant swimming into the waves.

 Participants getting ready for the swim

 JD just finished the swimming part and coming

out of the water

 Leech Lake was pretty rough today

After exiting the water, the participants go to the transition area and get ready to ride their bikes.

 JD getting ready for biking

Getting his bike to the highway

John and I took a rest break and sat in the car for awhile as the bikers covered 17 miles. With all the bright yellow shirts, we somehow missed getting a photo of John finishing this portion of the race.  Next he was off on the two mile run.

John starting the running part of the race

 The Finish Line

We hung around with JD for a little bit after the race and then hit the road home.  John has been thinking about getting a different vehicle.   We've found as we're getting older that our little Honda is getting more uncomfortable for long hauls, so we have been looking at several different makes and models over the past month.  Matt and Sara just purchased a newer Chevy Impala and we really liked it, so we stopped at a dealership to see what they had available and took a test drive.  We are now the proud owners of a bright red Chevy.  Won't have it until Monday, so pics will have to wait.

     

What Happened To Our Summer

A cold front moved into our area last night and today felt like the middle of September with temps reaching only the mid 60's with some strong winds that made it feel even colder.  Our low for tonight is suppose to be 43 degrees.

We are slowly getting settled back in after our trip and returning to our regular routine.  Following breakfast, John and I again headed back to the shop for more cleaning and organizing.  Today JD came down to help move a few pieces of machinery and remove the air purification systems from the ceilings.  I kept busy cleaning some shelving, small tools, the air systems, and sweeping.  While he was here, JD also dismantled the lacquering room.  Matt and Hanna dropped in for a visit while we were working and ended up staying for lunch. 

Late this afternoon, we headed into town for the summer's first farmers market where we purchased some fresh tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers.  There were quite a few people in attendance and it looked like the vendors would sell all of their produce.  The rest of our day was pretty quiet, and since it's a little on the chilly side tonight and not too nice to be outside, we just vegged out watching some TV.

Nice Cool Day

John and I returned home yesterday afternoon to very nice cool weather and low humidity.  After a week in sweltering heat and humidity, it felt good to be back in the cool north country.

After two long days on the road, it felt good to sleep in this morning and relax over breakfast on the porch.  We jumped back into shop clearing and organizing as soon as we were done eating.  Matt did some work on an exterior wall that was rotting, so when we got down in the shop we found the area we had cleaned and organized back in a dirty mess.  We made some headway on getting it cleared, but John will need some help getting the work counters back against the wall.  

Since it was such a nice day, we spent some time this afternoon cleaning all the plastic crates and containers that were in the different rooms of the shop.  We hope to use some of them for sorting and displaying items on the sale.

 As you can see, we had quite a few containers and lids

to clean

We came home to ripe cherries and our flower bed blooming profusely.

 

Last Day In Kentucky

In a rare treat this week, John and Gus slept in and didn't work on the deck.  The guys took the project as far as they could while we were here, and now Gus will need to tackle the railing on his own.

This morning we attended a United Methodist church that Katie and Gus went to last Sunday.  It's a very large church with three Sunday morning services.  John and I enjoyed the service and found the preacher to be very personable as well as enjoying his preaching.  Following the service we went to Cracker Barrel for dinner and then spent the afternoon watching the British Open and playing a new card game we learned from the Bridger's.

We hope to head out on our return trip early tomorrow morning.  Since we'll be on the road the next couple of days, I won't be posting again until Tuesday or Wednesday.

A Smidgen Cooler Today

It was the same old routine again this morning, Gus and John up early to beat the heat and try to make more progress on the deck.  They made great strides this morning and got the steps back up.  Everyone then took a break to watch The British Open, relax, and cool off.

Katie and I took a break from shopping and spent the day at home where I did some laundry and packed up my purchases, getting some things ready to load back in the Honda for our trip north on Monday.

After supper the guys were back at work on the deck getting the last of the landing installed which will connect the deck to the stairs.  They were short a couple of boards, so they headed off to Lowe's for more lumber.  This was one of several trips to that store today.

 

Hot Again

Once again the guys were up early to try to beat the heat.  Since it was slightly cooler this morning, they were able to make some good progress before the warmth drove them into the AC.  

When I asked Gus what he was thinking wearing a black shirt on such a hot day, he said "That's what real men do".  I think he was implying that his brother was a wimp for wearing a white shirt.
 

 Flowers in the neighbor's yard

While the guy's worked, Katie and I did some shopping at Kohl's where I found some neat place-mats, a baking dish, and tee shirt all on sale.  Katie also bought some of the same place-mats and a shirt.  It's been fun being able to shop in a few of my favorite stores since we have to travel almost a 100 miles to do so at home.  After lunch, we all piled into Gus's car and went to Half Price Books where Nate works and purchased some used CD's, books, and said good-bye.  From there Gus and Katie took us to Cheddars for some supper and then the guys did some more work on the deck when we got home.  Tomorrow they hope to get the steps back up and then Gus will be able to do the railing on his own.  

 

Fun Day

John was up bright and early as he and Gus wanted to start work on the deck before the day heated up; however the day started off scorching hot.  They managed to get a little accomplished before the heat drove them inside for a few hours.  A rain storm also delayed work.

Katie and I headed off to Hobby Lobby to use our 40% off coupons and I managed to pick up a fall pumpkin and a new puzzle.  This evening our nephew stopped over to join us for supper and then we spent the remainder of the night visiting.  Tomorrow the John and Gus hope to get a little more accomplished on the deck if the weather permits and Katie and I will tour some of the town and visit Kohl's (Carol T. eat your heart out).

 

Made It To Kentucky

Just a brief note to let you all know we made it to Nicholasville, KY safe and sound.  We left John and Theresa's a little after 6 a.m. as they sent us off with a nice packed breakfast which meant we didn't have to stop and could get a good start on our day.  The weather was very hot and got more so the farther south we traveled.  Katie had a delicious supper ready for us when we arrived and we spent the evening visiting and catching up.

Hot In Wisconsin

After about ten hours on the road, we arrived at the Bridger's place in Monroe, Wisconsin.  John and I got tired of the construction on the interstate, so we hopped off and finished our journey on the back roads and saw some beautiful scenery.

We were treated to a five-star supper and then spent the remainder of the evening visiting.  This morning the guys went off to play golf while Theresa and I hit some stores.  I found a great deal on some pots and pans before we all met up at Pizza Hut for their noon buffet special.  We then stopped at a local brewery for a tour and found the last one for the day had just department.  Oh well, we spent some time looking through the museums there and got samples of the different beverages bottled there--soda, beers, and some newer drinks.  From there we stopped at a cheese factory and watched some being made and also enjoyed more free samples.  John wanted to buy some cheese, but thought with the temps being so hot, it wouldn't hold up until we reached Kentucky.  It's almost supper time, so this entry will have to be continued later.

John and Theresa served another delicious meal and we spent the rest of the evening visiting.  Tomorrow we hit the road bright and early for Kentucky and, since we'll be driving all day, I won't be posting again until Wednesday if there is internet service.

Packing For Our Trip

Our warm humid weather continue through today with cloudy skies that looked like rain at any moment; however, the rain never made an appearance.

My back has been acting up again, so this morning I decided to stay home from church as I didn't think I could sit on the hard pews for an hour or more without aggravating it more.  John headed off by himself, and while he was gone, I finished washing the clothes we need to take and got the fridge cleaned out.

This afternoon we spent some time relaxing in front of the TV watching the PGA and the three way playoff.  We are all ready to head out first thing in the morning and plan to spend tomorrow night and Tuesday with John and Theresa Bridger in Monroe, WI. before heading off to Kentucky and our visit with John's brother.

As we will be on the road all day tomorrow, I will probably not be posting again till Tuesday or Wednesday.

 

Really Hot Today

Today was the hottest one so far this summer.  Temps hit 90 with brutal humidity which kept the AC running pretty much all day.  We decided to put the shop cleaning and clearing on hold until we return from our trip, so I spent most of my day getting clothes organized and ready to pack tomorrow.  John worked in the coolness of the shop finishing up the frames I need for my fair photos and now I have all of them all matted, framed, and ready for display.  He also braved the heat and got the grass all mowed.  

John will be helping his brother build a deck while we are visiting in Kentucky so he has been picking Matt's brain on how to do several different steps in the process.  This afternoon Matt and Sara stopped in on their way home from a sale and dropped off a mockup of a railing so the guys could see how to do it when they get to that part of the job.   I'm sure there will be a few phone calls to Minnesota once the project begins. 
 

A Hot Day

We could tell today was going to be a hot one when the temperature at 6 a.m. was 71 degrees.  Add to that high humidity, and it was a good day to find something to do inside in the cool AC.

Since the shop is nice and cool in the mornings, we worked down there again until noon.  I managed to get all the office accessories and computers ready for the sale while John organized the leftover boxes and got more cleaning done.  We have decided to hold the sale in the big shipping area and have been spending the past couple of days clearing it out.  Tomorrow another load will go to the landfill and that will give us even more room to start setting up.

I am still waiting for a couple of more prints to arrive from Shutterfly, and then I'll have all my photos printed and matted.  I want to get our entry forms mailed in before we head off on our trip.  John got his fair project done, so we are in pretty good shape for this year's fair.

John mowed a little grass today while I got some of the house straightened up and the cameras ready to go.  This evening we've had some thunderstorms, so we've just relaxed in the AC and watched a couple recorded shows.

Celebrated a birthday

We took another day off from working in the shop as John's back was a little stiff and we thought it best to give it a rest.  However, he did spend time down there working on picture frames and assembling some paper towel holders from left over parts.  I spent my morning finishing up a few more fair photos and doing some laundry.  We'll be leaving bright and early Monday morning for our trip to Wisconsin and Kentucky, so I'm trying to get all the clothes washed and ready to pack.

Around noon Matt and Sam stopped in to eat lunch and then John took Sam to his orthodontist appointment while Matt returned to the job site.  Once his appointment was done, John drove him back to work before returning home.  The other day I listed our old patio furniture on Craig's List and had several emails about it.  This afternoon one of the people who contacted me about it came to see the set, purchased it on the spot, and hauled it away.

Today was Julie's 8th birthday, so after supper we headed up to JD's place to celebrate with some cake and ice cream.  Jo's parents were in attendance also, so we were able to spend a very pleasant evening visiting.  Josh was away at camp this week, so he missed out on the celebration.

  I tried to talk Julie into sharing this gift

with me, but it was no go.

 Just what she wanted - Friends Legos

 

 

 Blowing out the candles

 

  Jenni's nice smile

Cool Day

After almost a week of very warm humid weather, the overnight temps dipped into the 50's and today was very pleasant with temps in the 70's and low humidity.  John and I once more headed to the shop first thing this morning where he got a couple of pieces of equipment cleaned up and ready for sale.  I cleared off a few more shelves and got some of the office equipment organized.

This afternoon John went back to the shop and made a few more items from left over parts along with a couple of new frames for my photos.  I managed to get more pics matted and then headed into town and the post office to mail off a couple more ebay sales.  The rest of our day was pretty quiet and uneventful.  

Road Trip

John and I decided to take a day off from shop work and, since there was a steady rain, decided this was a good day for a road trip to Grand Forks to pick up the motor we had dropped off for repair a couple of weeks ago.  

Right after breakfast I went up to Sara's for a haircut and as soon as I returned home we hit the road.  An hour or so later we arrived at the repair shop and picked up the motor.  From there we crossed the river into North Dakota and headed for Culver's to grab some lunch.  Next stop was a craft store so John could pick up some paint for his wood carvings and I could look for a couple of more mats for my fair pics.  We also made a quick stop at Kohl's for some new socks then Sam's Club for a few items.  On the drive home, instead of stopping at DQ, we had a change of pace and stopped at Mc Donald,s for a couple of their strawberry shakes. 

Hot and Humid Again

Our hot humid weather continued again today, so we worked down in the shop this morning while it was still cool inside.  Today we sorted through all the cans of stain deciding what we wanted to keep and what was trash.  While John cleaned some shelving we want to sell, I worked on the shipping computer clearing out Uniquely Wood information and getting label printers disconnected.  

After a couple of hours in the shop, we called it good for the day.  I got cleaned up and headed into town to print the photos I want to exhibit at this year's fair.  The remainder of the day I took care of some laundry and started digging out frames and mats.  This afternoon JD came down to help John haul what seemed like mountains of trash to the dumpsters.  I had listed our old patio furniture on Craig's List last night and have been busy answering emails about it today.  Several folks want to see it, but so far no one has shown up.  The Magpie babies are starting to venture further from the nest and even though they were on the ground poking around, the parents are still feeding them all.  

Quiet Weekend

Yesterday was warm and once the rain showers moved out, the humidity was on the rise and has hung around the entire weekend.  John and I worked down in the shop most of the morning and then I spent the remainder of my day working on photos for the fair.  After much debate, I think I have finally settled on what I want to show.  John kept busy mowing the lawn in between taking breaks to cool off in the AC.

We have pretty much settled on a routine of working in the shop early each morning and  now have gone through all the different rooms at least once cleaning, removing trash, and doing some organizing.  John and I have decided on having a sale the last weekend of September and that should give us about seven weeks to get ready once we return from Kentucky.

This afternoon we went to Bemidji and stopped at Menards where we found a good sale on patio furniture and purchased a new set for our porch. We have listed the old set on Craig's List and hopefully can get it sold before we leave next Monday morning for our next adventure. We hit Arby's for a quick lunch, and then picked up some fresh produce at a roadside stand before heading back home.  The remainder of the day was spent assembling our new furniture and getting the porch organized.

Magpie Nursery

A month or so ago, John and I noticed a couple of black birds with white and blue wing feathers going back and forth from the large pine tree to the west of our house.  We were told they are Magpies.  As we kept watch, we saw them building a huge nest out of sticks.  Their nest reminded us of the Bald Eagle nests we have seen in the area.  One day we could hear some little squawks--these birds don't sing, they squawk and we haven't had a quiet day since.  As the little ones have grown, the squawking has increased in both volume and duration.  Mom and Dad MP have been constantly flying to and from the nest trying to keep the little ones fed (we counted five kids in the family).  When the parents are away from the nest, the kids are absolutely still and quiet; however, once they return, mayhem breaks out as the kids squawk constantly until they receive some chow.  Then all is absolutely quiet again when the parents fly away to retrieve more bugs, etc.  

Yesterday we noticed the little guys had ventured to a different tree in our backyard and this evening they moved to a another tree out front by our small pond.  Most of the day they stayed in the home pine tree and just jumped from branch to branch and posed for a few photos.  I could approach them and get fairly close without them moving.  I think they thought if they didn't move I couldn't see them.  They still have quite a few of what I call their baby feathers and don't seem to be able to fly far.  They are getting big, but the parents still feed them.

  They sit all day with their mouths open

waiting to be fed.  

This morning John and I were in the process of cleaning out the old milk house when Matt dropped in for a visit, so we called it quits for the day and sat up on the porch and visited the rest of the morning.  Later this afternoon we went to Bemidji so John could pick up some wood glue and duct tape and I could get some socks.  We ate a quick supper at BK, filled up the Honda, and stopped for a couple of grocery items before heading back home.  The weather has been very warm and humid for northern MN, so we have been staying put inside in the cool AC. 

Happy Fourth of July!

John and I were up and about a little earlier this morning as we had to get the finishing touches done for our Fourth of July meal scheduled for noon.

After breakfast, John got busy cutting up the watermelon while I made a couple of Strawberry Delight pies (recipe provided by Amy).  We then got the tables set, silverware and plates out, and drinks made.  Amy and family arrived around 10:30 a.m. and we had a nice visit before Matt's family hit the house.  John took care of grilling the hamburgers and hotdogs and I got the rest of the food situated on the counter.  After the blessing, everyone filled their plates and either sat out on the porch or around the dining room table to eat their fill. 

 

 

 Amy wanted an updated photo of the cousins, so after everyone was done eating, and before Sara had to leave, we gathered in the front yard for a quick photo session.  The remainder of the afternoon was spent playing cards and watching some TV.  All too soon it was time for the kids to hit the road back to Matt's and get packed up for their travels back to Wyoming.  We sure had a great fourth this year!

Getting Ready for the Fourth

It was pretty warm this morning by the time John and I finally woke up, so we wimped out of our walk.  We got cleaned up, ate breakfast, and then headed down to the shop to do some more cleaning and sorting.  We have one section of the building just about done--should be able to complete it over the weekend.

John did some more work in the shop finishing up the project he started the other day.  While he was busy there, I made a pasta salad, dip, and brownies for tomorrow.  I am also making strawberry pies, but I can do them first thing in the morning.  

This evening we went up to Matt's for supper with the family and then we all drove over to the next town and went to the movies.  Everyone seemed to enjoy Despicable Me 2 as there was much laughter throughout the movie.  After we returned to Matt's place, the guys put on their annual fireworks show in the backyard.  Since Sara and her kids are leaving after lunch tomorrow to spend a couple of days with her brother who is visiting from Alaska, the show was held tonight so they could enjoy it along with the rest of us.  The guys did their usual great job.

 Going from left around the table:  Caleb, Sam, Isaiah, Rachel, Noah, and Hanna

Crazy Change

Last night I wrote about what happened on Monday and then couldn't publish what I had written, so I deleted that and spent another 15 minutes rewriting the blog.  Still couldn't publish.  Thought there must be a problem with the web site and gave up on the whole thing until this evening.  I once again started writing, and the sign came up about a required field being empty.  I did some digging and found other bloggers were having the same problem.  Seems Google made some changes effective July 1st.  I think I have to title each blog entry or I can not publish what I've written.  I am going to stop right here and see if this will show up on our blog site.  If all goes well, I'll give a brief update of yesterday and today.  See you in a bit, I hope.

I'm back!!  I have to title each entry in order to publish.  Guess I'll have to get creative with my thinking from now on.  Oh well, about yesterday.  John and I walked nice and early before the heat and the deer flies got a grip on the day.  The electrician arrived right after breakfast and installed the permanent AC wiring and a new heavy duty breaker for the line. We also replaced some screening on the porch that had a few holes.  I had a couple of more ebay sales, so following lunch, John and I headed into the post office to ship them out and then went on to Bemidji to take care of some banking and to restock the groceries used on last week's guest.

 This morning was pretty much the same as yesterday--early walk to beat the heat and bugs.  Right after breakfast we decided to work in the shop for an hour or so since we haven't done anything in there for over a week.  Since it's so dusty, we worked down there first and then showered up when we were done.  I then took care of some more laundry while John worked on the porch giving it a good cleaning. 

This afternoon John headed back to the shop to make a couple of items while I worked on photos for the fair.  In between the Direct TV guy came and discovered the problem with the satellite was a tree in front of the house.  He gave us a couple of options of what to do, and John opted to have it installed higher on the roof of the house.  We now have crystal clear pictures.  

Amy and Dave arrived at Matt's this afternoon, so this evening John and I headed up that way for an hour or so to visit.