Friday, May 30, 2014

Another Summer-Like Day

It's amazing how several days of hot weather has brought out the leaves and blossoms on the wild fruit trees.  It truly looks like spring but feels more like summer. 

John and I got up nice and early yesterday and played a round of golf before the temps got too warm.  We were back home a little after 11 a.m. and it was already in the upper 80's.  Following lunch, John did a little yard work and then we both spent the rest of the day inside in the coolness.

Today was another hot one so John got outside early to trim the rest of the grass and plant the new trees that arrived from the seed company.  I spent quite a bit of time on the computer checking out travel times and hotels for our trip to California for our grandson's wedding.  The long range forecast calls for more seasonal temps so we shouldbe able to get outside and get a few more jobs done in comfort.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Turned on the AC

The house finally got too warm and we had to turn on the AC.  Hard to believe we are runing it in May.  The warmer weather has also caused the grass to grow so John was back out mowing again early this morning before it got too hot.  I pretty much stayed inside the house where it was nice and cool and did some cleaning in the office and several loads of laundry.  Right now we are in the midst of our first crop of mosquitoes for the summer, so we don't venture outside much after supper.  In a week or so, they will die down and we'll be able to be outside in the evenings.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

New Fan Is Up

The weather forecast today was for sunny skies and very warm temps, so John and I decided to head into town early this morning and play a round of golf before it got too hot.  When we started out there was a nice breeze, but before long that died down and it got pretty warm out on the course.  John played a great round and I did pretty good until the last hole where I couldn't hit anything.

This afternoon, John installed the new ceiling fan we purchased the other day.  He was having a little trouble figuring out the wiring when JD and Josh stopped in and gave him a helping hand along with a video we found on the internet showing how to do the wiring.


 

Monday, May 26, 2014

Quiet Memorial Day

Our morning started off cloudy, foggy, warm, and very humid; however, once the sun came out about mid-morning, the day turned out to be a pretty nice one.

John spent most of his day outside working around the yard.  He sprayed the dandelions with some weed killer first thing and then put up a feeder hoping to attract some Baltimore Orioles to the yard.  Right now the hummingbirds are at their feeders all day long.
Following lunch, John started the task of trimming all the pine trees--the branches get so low he can't drive the riding lawn mower close to them without hitting his head.

I spent some time today clearing out photos on my laptop.  We are planning a trip to northern California and I wanted to get the computer ready for downloading more pictures.   The office desktop was getting a little cluttered again, so some time was spent getting that cleared off again.

Joanne called this afternoon with a question about her garden, so after supper John and I went up to look at it.  Seems she was having a little trouble distinguishing her new strawberry plants from weeds, so John gave her a hand pulling the weeds and giving her hints about planting their tomato plants.  That was our day, a pretty quiet one.

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Another Warm Day

It felt like summer today with our temps reaching into the mid 80's.  Here in northern Minnesota we have gone directly from winter to summer with only about two days of spring.  After such a long cold winter, no one is complaining about the heat, yet.

Due to the holiday weekend, attendance was a little on the low side in church this morning.  Following the service, John and I made a quick trip to Bemidji for some lunch and then stopped at Home Depot to pickup a ceiling fan to put over the table in our dining area. With five long windows on the west side of the house, the living room gets pretty warm in the afternoon and a fan would help move the air.  After we returned home, we loaded up the golf clubs and headed into town to play a round of golf.  We thought there would be quite a crowd on the course, but we only saw a couple of other golfers.  With all the water laying around from the rain, the misquitoes starting to make an appearance, so we need to remember to use insect repellant before we hit the course.

This evening Matt, Sara, and the kids stopped down for a visit and we spent a nice evening visiting out on our screened in porch.  It's nice to be able to sit outside in the cool air and not have the bugs around.
 

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Garden All Planted

We had another summer-like day and took advantage of the weather to get more of the outside chores finished.  Right after breakfast we made a run to the dump to drop off the week's trash and then headed into town for a quick stop at the greenhouse.  We decided we needed a few more plants in front of the house.

John spent most of his day getting the rest of the garden planted and now has everything in.  I finished up with the flower pots and got the hummingbird feeders up.  Hopefully it won't take long for the "hummers" for the them.  I also got the rest of the screens in the windows, and just in time, since our temps reached well into the 80's today.  Since Matt's family is away this weekend attending Sara's niece's high school graduation and party, John made quick trip up to their house to check on their dog.  He seemed to be doing okay, but will probably be glad to have his family return home tomorrow.   

Friday, May 23, 2014

Planting Flowers and Garden

Today was the first day of summer vacation for the kids and they couldn't have asked for a better one.  It almost felt like a mid-summer day with clear skies and warm breezes.  Hard to believe you needed a winter coat just two days ago.

John was up and out of the house bright and early to lend a hand to Matt and Sam installing a large window and sliding door.  With his part of the job finished, he was back home by early afternoon.  While John was gone, I laundered up the last of the winter jackets and got them stowed away.  There are always a few odds and ends sitting around, so I got busy and cleared up the little piles and also put most of the screens in as the temps are forecast to reach into the 80's tomorrow.  This afternoon we worked out in the yard getting the flowering plants in the ground and some planting done in the garden.  The outside is shaping up rather nicely.


New plant on the deck
 

John filling the birdbath after planting flowers.
Notice trees in background just beginning to show green.
 

Grape vines and strawberry plants in garden
 

Raspberry patch just east of garden
 

Raspberry bush coming back to life
 
Pine trees in yard just loaded with pine cones
and they are all falling on the ground to be cleaned up.

I told John I'm going to photograph the garden at least once a week so we can see how much the plants and grape vines are growing.  It's amazing how bushy and full the grape vines will get over the growing season. 

 

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Sunny Day

Since it was a beautiful day and John didn't have to work with Matt, he decided it was a good time to till the garden and get it ready for planting.  If the weather continues to hold, he should be able to get a few things planted this weekend.  

Once John got finished with the garden, we thought it would be a good time to get all the screens and a few of the windows washed.  We took the screens outside and laid them on sawhorses to scrub and hose them off.  I managed to get the screens in the office windows and will do more tomorrow while John is working with Matt and Sam.

With such beautiful weather, we headed into town after lunch and played a round of golf.  I must say my fairway woods are finally coming around and John is enjoying playing on grass.  When we were done with golf, we drove over to a greenhouse in the next town and purchased some flowering plants and a few items for the garden.  Hopefully there will be no more freezing temps, and if there are, we'll have to cover everything.  The trees are showing some green finally, so I think it's safe to say Spring has arrived.
 

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Where Did The Warm Weather Go?

So much for warmer weather.  Our day dawned cold and blustery with overcast skies.  Hard to believe we were wearing shorts and tee shirts to the track meet yesterday.

Matt was waiting for a window to arrive to finish up a job the guys did a couple of weeks ago.  Since it wasn't on the first delivery truck, John decided to take advantage of the free time and get the lawn mowers and tiller ready for action.  He put all the batteries back in the equipment and got everything running.  With all the rain and a few day of sunshine, the grass was beginning to look a little shaggy so today was the first grass cutting of the 2014 season.

 Only in northern Minnesota in May can you mow the
lawn wearing a winter coat, hat, and gloves.

Matt called while John was mowing and said the window arrived, so after eating an early lunch, he headed up to give Matt a hand.  It only took several hours to get the job done and then he was back home. 

We have been having quite a few birds at our feeders this spring.    A Bluejay has also been cautiously showing up for some free food.



Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Track Meet

Today the weather was absolutely beautiful--warm temps, bright skies, and plenty of sunshine.  Following breakfast, John left to work with Matt to install the subflooring on an addition they are building.  After yesterday's rain, they wanted to get this job done while the weather was good.

Since the days are beginning to get warmer, I thought this would be a good day to wash a couple of windows and get in some screens. There is now a screen in the kitchen window and in one of our bedroom windows.  This will help keep the house from getting too stuffy until we can get the rest of the screens and windows washed.

This afternoon was the last junior high track meet, so Joanne went with us to watch Josh run his races.  He ran the mile, the half mile, and the anchor leg in a relay race.


Starting off in the mile race (yellow shirt)
 

Waiting for the handoff in the relay race
 




 Heading for the finish line in half mile race

When the track meet was over, Josh rode home with Jo and us and we stopped at McDonald's for a late supper before heading back to Bagley.  

Monday, May 19, 2014

Rain Again

John was scheduled for a fasting blood test, so we headed to Bemidji bright and early this morning.  Once that was done, we stopped at Country Kitchen for some breakfast and then spent a couple of hours running around town taking care of some errands.
When we arrived home, there was a message on the machine from the dental office letting John know they could see him at 2 p.m. to put the permanent crown on his tooth.  After about 45 minutes at home, he returned to town and the dental office.  

Our pickup truck had been making some strange noises, so yesterday we dropped it off for servicing.  While John was at the dentist, the repair shop called and said the truck was ready to be picked up, so when he got home I drove him right back into town to get the truck.   It felt like we were on the road for the better part of the day.  

With all the rain we've had, and now with the warmer temps, the grass is finally green and the trees are beginning to bud out.  It looks like it is going to be warm enough now to turn the heat off in the house.  I think the winter has finally gone for good.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Sunny Day

It felt wonderful to walk outside today and feel the warmer temps and see clear skies with sunshine.  Unfortunately, the rain is forecast to return overnight and continue tomorrow.

It was the usual Sunday morning routine for us.  Following church we returned home, ate lunch, rested up for an hour, and then headed into town to play a round of golf.  Once again the course had many players, but everyone moved along.  I played better with the fairway woods and think I am finally getting use to playing on the grass. John and I spent a pretty quiet evening watching the final of the Amazing Race and a couple of other favorite shows.    

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Visitors Today

We had a very nice day weather-wise and were finally able to get a couple of outside jobs done.  John spent some time this morning vaccuming the carpet on the porch, cleaning the furniture, and generally getting the porch and deck ready for use.  Our grandson is getting married July 5th and we are planning to drive to California for the wedding and travel around the northern costal area of the state.  We spent an hour or so this morning trying to decide when we would leave, how long to be gone, and what we would like to see.  More information was needed, so we set up a time to Skype with Susie this afternoon.

Our plan for the rest of the afternoon was to work out in the house garage and do some re-arranging.  We were just about to walk outside when John's sister and brother-in-law pulled in the driveway on Leroy's motorcycle.  We last saw them before we left for Texas after the first of the year, so we spent a couple of hours visiting and catching up.  Just as they were leaving, Susie called to Skype and another hour was spent visiting with her, getting the latest details about the wedding and discussing plans for our visit.  By the time we were finished Skyping it was time for supper, so the garage will have to wait for another day.

 

Friday, May 16, 2014

Better Weather Today

The weather was good enough on Thursday that Matt and John were able to work all day.  Since I had the house to myself, I decided it was a good time to give the kitchen a good cleaning and that included mopping the floor.  

Right after breakfast today, John headed back to the job site where the guys only had a couple of hours left of work.  He was back home in plenty of time for lunch.  The sun was trying to break through the clouds, so we decided to head into town and play a round of nine holes.  It seems that many folks had the same idea--you have to get the golf in whenever the weather permits.  It felt good to get out in the fresh air and get a little exercise.  Our weather is on the upswing--highs temps are expected to reach the upper 50's with some sunshine for the weekend.  Maybe we'll be able to tackle some outside jobs. 

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Cold Weather and Rain Continue

I haven't blogged for a day or two because the cool rainy weather has pretty much kept us in the house.  The skies did clear for a little bit yesterday afternoon, so John and JD went to watch Josh's track meet in Northome which is well over an hour north of us.  John bundled up in his winter hunting jacket and still felt the cold wind. This was the first Jr. High meet this year as all the others had been canceled due to weather.  Josh improved his mile time by 20 seconds and was very pleased with his race.  

The weather was good enough today that Matt and John were finally able to start work on another one of Matt's jobs.  This one consists of installing new doors, windows, and replacing some siding.  I spent most of my day in Bemidji taking care of some errands and getting the car serviced.  This evening John had to cover his strawberry plants as the temps are suppose to drop down below freezing again. Hopefully some warmer weather will be returning in the next couple of days.

Monday, May 12, 2014

Another Rainy Day

Our sunny day of yesterday turned into a very rainy one today.  It started raining last night and hasn't stopped since then.  Since we were stuck in the house for the day, we tackled the job of trying to figure out why our freezer keeps having ice on the bottom.  Our first thought was the ice maker was cracked, so we purchased a new one on line.  After installing it yesterday, we found more ice on the bottom of the freezer again this morning.  I did some searching on the internet and found a site that would answer questions about appliances.  It seems the problem might be with a drain plug for the moisture when the freezer defrosts itself.  The next step will have to wait until tomorrow morning.  This evening was the spring band concert at the school where we watched Jenni, Josh, Rachel, and Hanna play in the elementary, jr. and senior high bands.  They all did a great job--the bands sound better and better each year.

Sunday, May 11, 2014

A Busy Mother's Day

John and I were up bright and early this morning so we could be on time for the Mother's Day breakfast being served before the church service today.  We had a delicious meal of scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, and fresh fruit.  Following the service we went out for lunch with Matt's family and had an enjoyable time just relaxing and visiting.

The afternoon was just beautiful with sunny skies and temps in the 70's.  We decided to play a round of golf since the rest of the week is suppose to be chilly with rain.  As we were heading down the road, we saw JD and family heading our way, so we turned around and met them at the house.  They stayed and visited for a while and after they left, we decided we still had enough time and daylight to play a round. There were only a few other folks out on the course, so we were able to take our time playing.  John has been playing great, but I'm still having some trouble with shots on the fairway.  




As you can see from the photos, the grass is nice and green, but the trees have yet to bud.

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Still Pretty Quiet Around Here

The weather was beautiful today with highs near 70 degrees.  Matt took advantage of the good weather yesterday and today to get one of his many jobs completed with John's help.  I spent my time doing some more cleaning and getting the last of the winter clothes stored away for the summer.  According to the forecast, the clouds and rain are going to move back in again tomorrow, so still not much of a chance to work outside in the yard.

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Not Much Happening

Since our weather has remained cold, cloudy, and rainy, there hasn't been much going on with us.  I spent a good portion of my day in our home office once again clearing off the desktop and sending out birthday cards and a couple of letters.  John did some more work out in the garage getting his old workbench cleaned off.  Our new ice maker arrived, John installed it, and now we have ice cubes and no more leaks in the freezer.  That's our day.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

A Nice Day

The forecast called for some rain today, but the morning was nice and clear, so right after breakfast John and I went into town and played another round of golf.  Today there were several parties on the course--seems like folks were taking advantage of the nice day since the chance of rain is much greater tomorrow.

After we returned home, we ate some lunch and then headed to Bemidji to do some shopping.  Our first stop was the new sports store where I found a pair of golf shoes and a new golf glove.  John found some replacement spikes for his golf shoes.  We gassed up the car and got it washed as it was pretty dirty from our muddy gravel road.  Supper was eaten at BK and then a final stop at Wal Mart.   Our evening was spent watching "Survivor" and playing a new game I put on my Kindle.  Hopefully tomorrow's forecast is wrong and we won't get the rain that's predicted.  We need more sunny days in a row.

 

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Rains Continued Again Today

We had rain most of today so that meant we were pretty much house bound again.  I did get out for a while this morning for a dental appointment to get my semi-annual teeth cleaning.  I got a good report--no additional work needed--and go back again in six months.

John and I have been working on re-arranging our garage, so today he removed his smaller workbench and set it up out in his shop.  That's all the further he got as Matt stopped in and ended up staying for lunch and visiting a bit.  Matt has plenty of work lined up, but the rainy weather has kept him off the job.  Hopefully, the weather will clear up soon so he can get some work done. 

The rest of our day was spent just hanging out around the house, watching some TV, and waiting for the rain to come to an end. 

 

Monday, May 5, 2014

Wow! Two Nice Days In A Row

The morning started off overcast with a threat of rain.  Matt had a job scheduled for today that comprised of installing a large window.  He decided to take a chance with the weather and do the job since Sam was off today and he had John lined up to help.  John left the house bright and early and was back by lunch time.  The new window was in and the weather turned out to be pretty nice.

While John was gone, I did some more laundry and straightened up a little around the house.  For some reason, the house seems to get a little messy over the weekend.  You all can probably guess what we did this afternoon.  That's right, we played another round of golf.  There was only one other person on the course, so we were able to take our time.  We both played much better today, though I'm still working out the kinks.  John and I had to be done by 4 p.m. because there was a high school golf match scheduled then.  We walked off the ninth green just in time for the kids to get started.

A note to our kids:  The person we saw on the golf course was Jim Trucke (their high school cross country coach).  He asked about all of you and said to say "Hi".  

Sunday, May 4, 2014

A Nice Day At Last

Today we had some warmer temps and no wind for a change.  Following a leisurely breakfast, we got cleaned up and headed off to church.  Since it was the first Sunday of the month, we also had Communion following the morning service.  

Since the weather was so nice, John and I decided to head into town and play a round of golf.  This course was very different from what we were use to playing on in Texas.  The greens were nice and smooth and there was plenty of grass.  There were also some big hills and a water hazzard. We hadn't played for almost a month, so it took me a few holes to get back in the groove.  A couple of weeks ago we purchased new golf carts as we decided we would walk the course when we played to get some additional exercise.  Both of us were pretty tired by the time we were done this afternoon, but it sure felt good to get outside in the fresh air and get the body parts moving again.  

 

Saturday, May 3, 2014

Another Job Off The List

Since Friday was partly cloudy with no rain in the forecast, Matt decided it was a good time to work on JD's roof and asked John to give him a hand.  The roof had been leaking around the vent, and a portion needed to be replaced. They ripped off the damaged shingles, blew in some more insultation, laid down a couple of sheet of plywood, and re-shingled the patch.  It took the guy a little over four hours to get the job completed and now JD should have a leak-free roof.



While John was gone, I changed the bed linens and did some laundry.  Even though the weather is still on the cool side, I started pulling out the summer clothes and storing away most of the winter ones.  

This morning we tackled the dreaded job of cleaning out our chest freezer in the garage.  As is usual with a chore like this, we discovered many food items we didn't know we had--the best surprise was the many bags of frozen rasperberries.  The freezer is now all defrosted and organized.  That's another job scratched off the to do list.

Later this afternoon, John took a little time to re-stack some wood in the shed.  He is making room for some slab wood the guys want to get sometime this next week.  This is the wood we'll burn over the summer to heat our hot water.  The rest of the day was spent watching the PGA and the Kentucky Derby.  We're hoping the weather will improve enough tomorrow that we can get in a round of golf.  

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Quiet Day Around The House

With the weather continuing cold and windy, we havn't been able to get outside to do anything so we're continuing to work on inside jobs.  With the business closed, the shop building has been turned into storage area.  Today Matt brought down his snowplow and parked it in the shop.  While he was here, John also got him to help move an old freezer out of the house garage and into the storage area.

This morning John put all the outlet covers and switch plates back up in the hallway and moved the cedar chest and plant stand back where they belonged.  The stairway looks much nicer now that the walls are all the same color.

We spent a pretty quiet evening watching a movie and doing some reading.  The weather forecast is still calling for some rain tomorrow even though the sky cleared off early this evening.

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...