Honey Bees and Biddy Babies

It must be just about time to find bee boxes stacked in the orchard. It's a good thing the grands and I took our long walk last week. While taking flower photos on Saturday afternoon I heard a bit of buzzing by my feet. Lo and behold, a bunch of bees were enjoying the newly blossomed dandelions. They are always prettiest in the spring when brilliant yellow circles fill the fields and the stems lay close to the ground. I think that if dandelion stems stayed short, we wouldn't mind their happy flowers gracing our yards.

My first attempts at bee photos failed, just nothing special, but when I set the camera in the grass and shot low, the results were quite amazing. Although these were just random, lucky captures, it does explain why I occasionally get down on my belly and look through the view finder. Sadly, getting up again is not getting easier with time, which is the reason I so often hold the camera low and hope I've got it pointed in the right direction.


The Cabinet Maker finished up the hen house this weekend and the girls were moved in. They have a double roof over their heads as the new coop was built under the shed roof of Barn 3. We're hoping this helps come winter and the cold months.


While the Cabinet Maker worked on the coop, the biddies enjoyed the grass and sunshine in a makeshift containment center. I even saw a few lay down on their sides in the grass, stretch out their legs, and close their eyes. It never lasted long as another bird would inevitably come along, step on the sleeping one, and up she'd hop. I think they thought they'd died and gone to bird heaven.


I wasn't sure about the tiny chicks we brought home at the end of March. I had no clue how to take care of those chirping balls of fluff. Every time I came into the room they would squawk and run in fear to the far end of the box while I filled the food and water containers. Now they come running toward me when I feed them and I am falling in love with a crazy flock of Barred Plymouth Rock chickens. Who'd a thunk?

The Barn Collective

Too fun not to share.

Our oldest son got married three years ago. An outdoor, April wedding at a farm venue in a far off land. Sandwiched between two Minnesota snowstorms, my sweet son married his beautiful bride. She was certain God would bless her with fair weather and she was not disappointed.

Isn't that a great spot for a wedding?

Montgomery, Minnesota
(Just a tad, or two, outside the city of Minneapolis...)

It was a great spot to house out of town family. A loft in the upper section and a bunkhouse in the basement, as well as an entire house across the driveway. We got to stay in the bunkhouse. Yes!

Michele's family did an incredible job of decorating.

Everything was perfect. Even the weather.

The ceremony took place out on the lawn.

It might not have been green yet, but the 70 degree temperatures were perfect.

 The reception and festivities were inside the first floor.

(We had the rehearsal dinner in the bunkhouse downstairs on Friday night.) 

When we moved the tables, there was plenty of room for dancing.

So fun!

The bride and groom. 

Aw... so cute.

:0)

And when the festivities were over, we put everything back in it's place.

I wanted to stay longer, but it was time to go.

Back to the city, the Minnesota flour mills...

... and The North Western Casket Company.

.

Next to the wedding, my favorite part was finding that my blog friend Kristina was living just four miles from the wedding venue. We had the wonderful opportunity to meet in person on Saturday afternoon before the preparations got into full gear.  

It was the perfect vacation.

Come join The Barn Collective with Tom.

3X Thursday on Friday

Most weeks I can't tell one day from another....

1. Have you ever been in a parade?

2. Do you still have a landline and if so, why? (As mine rings again with an unknown out of the area call...)

3. Sunrise or sunset?

(Three clowns from my past. No, one of them is not me.)

Heavy Loads and an Orchard Walk

On very sleepy mornings it is good to have a cup of coffee... Ha ha! It's always good to have a cup of coffee in the morning.

The impending arrival three small children drew me from my slumber this morning. I hopped in and out of the shower just in time. Children don't like to sit around, even if grandmothers do, so well before noon we pulled on our shoes and headed out into the orchard for a walk.

We didn't take a shortcut this time. We walked from the back yard through the Fox's orchard and into Mr. Orbaker's. We looked for treasure along the way; rocks, beer bottles, and dandelions. I chose to collect photographs.

There was plenty of com- petition along the way, a bit of swash- buckling and a little yelling for me to "wait up!" I reminded them several times to stay out of the puddles, although a piece of me wanted to let them forge each one...

Two children collected dandelions on the way along with an empty bottle to carry them in. This was a rare sweet moment between 3 and 4 (grandchild numbers) who are typically in constant battle.

At the beginning of our walk number 2 picked up a big stone. He planned to paint an alligator on it and toted it along for a ways. I suggested he leave it along the road and pick it up on the way back, but he insisted on taking it along. About halfway into our walk he finally gave up and dropped it. He picked it up when we circled back but since he had already lugged it a long distance on our way out, he had a long way to carry it back again.

We weren't too far from home when this child said to me, "This has been a frustrating and heavy walk."

"No wonder," I thought to myself, "You've been carrying a heavy and unnecessary load."

And isn't that just the way? Thankfully, he gave up on the piece of wood and lightened his load just a little bit before continuing on.

Hidden Gifts

I stopped down by the lake on my way home from my daughter's house on Saturday afternoon and stayed just long enough to snap a few pictures before the migraine I'd been fighting got the better of me and I gave up and headed home where I collapsed on the couch.

It was a beautiful afternoon and Webster Park was full of people eager to soak up some fair weather and sunshine. Sometimes a walk in the fresh air will shake the ache from my head, but that was not to be. Instead I ended up taking some sleepy medicine at about 8 o'clock and then I put myself to bed. Sometimes it's the only option.

The Cabinet Maker was still away on Sunday morning. We typically go to the 9 am service at church. I would have done the same alone if not for the unshakable headache. I decided to attend the 11 am service instead, hopeful that I might run into my son and his wife, or my "long lost" friend Lorrie.

I sat alone for the opening but it wasn't too long before my Lorrie came in, saw the empty seats, and sat beside me. I was blessed with a wonderful, long awaited hug. After church we decided to go out for a very late breakfast where we were able to catch up on some lost time. It's been far too long since we spent any real time together. In the end I decided that the awful headache I'd endured was really a gift intended to put two old friends in the same place at the same time. And what do you know? It wasn't long before the rest of  my  headache began to melt away.

And Here We Are Again

The Cabinet Maker has been away. He left last Tuesday morning and returned last night in time for the tail end of my weekend migraine. (Lucky guy.) When allergy season kicks in I always find myself wondering if these headaches have anything to do with my sinuses. We ran out of tissues so we took out a roll of toilet paper. The next best thing, yes?

Well, Spanky found the potty paper. I originally took it away, but then the Grandma Photographer kicked in and I gave it back.

He's a rather neat little mess maker. Dropped every piece he tore off into one pile. I like this kid!
:0)

Back to work tomorrow. This is my final regular week in this facility. At the end of May I'll start sitting with a new client one day a week. Closer to home and better hours. In the meantime I'm hoping to find a job in a daycare center watching children. I miss my "Flower Garden."

The Barn Collective

Same barn as last week but new shots.

While the Cabinet Maker and I were out gallivanting last week we stopped by this old beauty again.

We stayed outside of this old structure. Not safe for venturing inside but there were lots of nooks, crannies, and windows to look through.

Join us at the Barn Collective with Tom.

Fixer Upper

Where are Chip and Joanna when you need them?

On our way to the cemetery, Deb and I passed an abandoned, rundown house. We purposed to  stop and take a look around on the way back. (Don't worry, we stayed outside.)

View from the road

The front door. It wasn't until I got up close that I noticed the doorknob is on the door casing instead of on the door itself. I wondered who took the time to remove the knob and reattach it to the doorpost and why.

Upstairs window

My partner in crime.

The interior. Needs a little bit of work. Maybe a support beam or two.

Every old house needs a junk pile.

 Window treatments.

Entering the Twilight Zone

My friend Deborah and I traveled to the Twilight Zone this afternoon...

I left home not knowing exactly how the day would go so we decided, rather on the fly, to head south toward Interlaken, NY and look for the final resting place of Rod Serling. I'd had a heads up from Tom, the Backroads Traveller as to it's whereabouts, but hadn't looked up directions or anything ahead of time. (No, I don't have GPS on my phone.)

It's hard to get lost in upstate NY. We have a Great Lake on the north that stretches pretty much from one end to the other, and a set of really cool long lakes that run north and south between a volley of large hills which we call drumlins. They make pretty awesome landmarks and keep long time residents from ever wandering totally aimless. (But I digress, probably because I should be going to bed...)

I'd been in Ovid, NY just Sunday so my mind was refreshed on the direction to take. We found Interlaken and the Lake View (in this case Cayuga Lake) Cemetery rather effortlessly, but it was the grave of Rod Serling we had come to see and that took a bit of wandering. In our wandering we came upon a cemetery map posted on the back of a little information center. It listed last names and locations of plots. Had we not stumbled upon the map, we may have wandered for days.

Rod's marker is decorated somewhat differently today than it was when Tom made his visit. There was a small futuristic car, a little figurine, a metal lighter, stones, coins, pens, and a rock that said "Time enough at last." Deb left him a cough drop and I contributed a penny because I didn't have anything else very interesting in my pockets beside quarters.

I wondered later, along with the Cabinet Maker who is in North Carolina working on a job, what happens to all the little trinkets that decorate Rod's grave...

Deborah and I continued our cemetery wandering, taking pictures, and wondering at carvings and inscriptions. We took in life and loss, great sorrow and words of hope. There is much to be gleaned from a walk through the past and I'm thankful for a friend who will wander rows of slate and marble without making me feel foolish for being drawn there.

I was taken by surprise when I saw an urn smiling down at me from atop a granite marker and found myself smiling back. Who'd have imagined a bit of humor amidst the stones?