tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-885109496711634222024-02-23T20:03:11.621-06:00Celtic LadyJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17693598787241469220noreply@blogger.comBlogger577125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88510949671163422.post-28151783031420192892016-09-03T21:24:00.003-06:002016-09-03T22:20:56.312-06:00Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17693598787241469220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88510949671163422.post-41571872413213794152016-09-03T21:24:00.002-06:002016-09-03T22:35:54.281-06:00SUMMER PROJECTS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have been improving my back yard these past few seasons, beginning in 2013. While most of my improvement projects that first year were devoted to urgent repairs on the house and garage, I did have my rotten deck replaced.<br />
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In 2014 my niece's fiancé, Marcus, installed my courtyard garden, which I showed you in an earlier post. He also replaced my old arbor over the front sidewalk and replaced it with a gorgeous cedar arbor, and he and my niece, Kelsey, rototilled and planted a perennial garden in the back left of the property, and my daylily bed in the back right.<br />
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I can't think of any big projects accomplished last year but this year Marcus and his helper really went to town. The two prime reasons for the changes were my dogs barking at the neighbors, and the lack of shade over my deck after my beloved elm had to be cut down (see previous post). I knew that the shade for my deck would no longer be sufficient, but I went ahead and bought my shade plants anyway, because a lot of the temporary greenhouses pack it up by the end of June, and the permanent ones are out of annuals - at least the healthy ones - by then as well.<br />
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I knew the plants would suffer, and they did. A few of my orchids were severely burned, as well as a bird's nest fern. Impatiens, my old reliables, sickened. Some houseplants actually bit the dust! I quickly researched cloth shade sails and umbrellas, and ultimately decided on two huge umbrellas in a gorgeous blue, which Marcus and his friend installed. They lasted two days - literally. I bought these umbrellas for shade, not for me but for the plants, so I left them up during the day. The second day, a huge wind/rain storm whipped through town while I was at work, and broke the ropes on both umbrellas, destroying their capacity to open and close. They were a total loss - a bitter disappointment and a hit in the pocketbook.<br />
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Then, Marcus offered to build a pergola. I am quite satisfied at how well it turned out, except that I had hoped for longer, more dramatic Japanese-style rafters. I was thrilled at how they blended the deck, built by other contractors, with the new pergola. The top photo is the view looking up from the lower deck, and the bottom photo shows it from the back yard. If you enlarge the photo you can see Holly giving an adoring look to "her Marcus", the photographer, and also a part of the lower deck behind the garage.<br />
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Mostly, I am tickled pink with how it turned out. Not only can I place a lot of annuals and houseplants in the shade, I can hang orchids from the lattice top (photo taken before I did this). Other plants include heliotrope, pansies, regular and New Guinea impatiens, tuberous and dragon-wing begonias, and several varieties of fuchsias. I am also able to hang wind chimes, votive candles and garden flags. I have mounted plant hangers on a couple of posts, and hung some of my smaller "Green Men and Women" plaques from other posts. The deck has really become a "Garden Room". (This view is looking toward my patio door into the kitchen.)<br />
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This view is looking out toward the back yard, where you can see the new fence that Marcus and his partner built. Next year I plan to hang my larger Green Men and Women on the fence. Holly no longer barks at the kids who live behind me, and they no longer shriek in fear when they see her (as if Holly would harm a fly). The white arbor over the statue was secured so it won't fall over every time the wind blows a bit.</div>
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This is one view of my courtyard garden, all filled up! It has a new black metal fence this year. Purchased at Lowe's, it was quite inexpensive and went up quickly. It is a huge success in fulfilling the purpose it was added for, to keep the dogs (mainly Holly) from digging up the dirt squares and knocking over pots.<br />
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This is another view of the courtyard garden, and unfortunately of my neighbor's driveway. However, when I am down in the courtyard , I have perfect privacy due to the grapevine. I also have privacy on the other side of the yard, from my neighbor's ivy. Both are excellent for hiding chain link fences. However, you will note that I said I have privacy. Holly can still see through the chain links, and barks excessively at the neighbors, and especially rabbits, cats, and children, whom she appears to have never seen before.</div>
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So that problem still needs to be resolved. And my hugest disappointment to date is the 2014 re-seeding of the back yard. It cost a lot, and did not take. Last year, it was half grass covered with plaintain weeds and half bare dirt. This year it is an explosion of weeds of all sorts and great height. I have had two helpers hack away at the weeds over the summer, and recently had a go at them myself. I am half wishing for fall so that the weeds will die!</div>
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It is clear that next year's project is seeding the lawn again - but making it smaller, by carving out more perennial beds to replace a lot of the grass. Ah, there will be a lot of dreaming over the long, cold winter.</div>
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Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17693598787241469220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88510949671163422.post-65996876777140279972016-03-27T15:51:00.000-06:002016-03-27T15:51:05.472-06:00FOR THE LOVE OF A TREE<br />
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This is a picture of my house in Bismarck, ND. It isn't a recent photo - I've since installed a new door that isn't blue, and a new arbor. These days, a massive William Baffin rose climbs over the arbor. But aside from those changes, it looks about the same as it always has. At least it did, until a few days ago.</div>
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I have to admit I shed a few tears when I came home that afternoon, all because of a tree. When I pulled into my driveway, I could see a huge gap behind my house that used to be filled by that giant American elm tree you see in the picture. I knew it was no longer there, but it upset me just the same.</div>
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You may remember that in October I posted about a giant limb from that tree falling on my house during a hurricane-force windstorm. How it frightened my dogs and me, and how I had to have the limb removed and my roof repaired due to the two big holes it caused.</div>
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The owner of the tree service that removed the limb advised me that the tree was irreparably damaged, and that it would have to come down. Realistically, I knew he was right. But when I saw the blank canvas left by the tree's removal, I felt like I was the executioner and that I had held the axe.</div>
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This tree, I'm sure, was about as old as my house, built in 1929. It had weathered so much, through at least three different owners. In our time alone, it made it through two microbursts and a catastrophic wind and rainstorm last June. (In that storm, a lot of live and dead limbs came down, but the strength of the tree was not affected.) But by signing the contract to have the tree taken down, I feel like I signed its death warrant. I had thought for sure nothing would harm this tree, except Dutch elm disease.</div>
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One of the reasons that Dan and I bought this house, other than that it was a neat stucco cottage and was located in an old Bismarck neighborhood, was the fact that it had such wonderful trees. Yes, the boulevard trees were already gone, and we saw evidence of three threes that had once lived in a row at the back of our property. But there was a gorgeous weeping birch out front, an ancient - and prolific - apple tree in the back, and that elm, probably one of the largest in town.</div>
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But one by one, we lost them. The weeping birch fell victim to a tiny insect, the bronze birch borer. The tree was already dead when we had it removed. The apple tree, a victim of all sorts of blights, just plain fell over after a violent storm. And then the elm.</div>
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It's true, sometimes I had a love-hate relationship with the tree. In drought years, it produced millions of elm seeds, causing drifts of light green along the curbs, the seeds sprouting anywhere and everywhere they found a speck of dirt. Some year, it had aphids, whose sticky black sap was so hard to remove from cars and deck furniture. Other years, we had to deal with little green worms that spun down on nearly-invisible threads to unceremoniously land on our heads and in our dinner plates. The elm provided so much shade that grass would not grow under its canopy, and not many flowers either.</div>
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Some of the branches were already dead. Val, our foreign exchange student, was always afraid that one particular branch would fall on her head when she sat out on our deck. Val, it was an entirely different branch that fell on the house. "Your" branch stayed intact until the end.</div>
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But what wonderful shade that old tree provided. The deck was almost always cool and comfortable. There, I was able to grow my orchids, begonias and impatiens, and summer over my houseplants. When the breeze was gentle, the branches swayed gracefully. Sometimes when it rained we could stay outside on the deck for a long time because the leaves protected us from the drops. I could tell when fall first arrived when the branch closest to the deck turned yellow overnight. And in the spring, it was the first branch to bud out. </div>
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Many summer evenings, after dinner, I would just lean back in my deck chair and stare up at the leaves, watching as they changed in color from light green to dark green to black as dusk descended. And after dark, I would seek out the moon and the brightest stars among the branches.</div>
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But now, the tree is - simply - no more. Gone too are the squirrels who scolded our dogs from a safe vantage point. Gone are the chickadees and nut hatches who scrambled up and down the trunk in the wintertime.</div>
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I cannot believe how the landscape of my backyard has changed. That first afternoon afternoon I walked around the yard, stunned at the difference. I will never be able to garden the same again. Yes, maybe I can now have an actual lawn, and flower beds too. But will it have been worth it, after all? </div>
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Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17693598787241469220noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88510949671163422.post-33504750725670193592015-11-07T20:41:00.000-06:002015-11-10T16:00:04.554-06:00MAYHEM - OR "WHAT'S NEXT?"<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mayhem has been hanging around my house a lot lately. A couple of weeks ago, I had been watching TV in bed with my snoozing puppies. Just before midnight, I turned off the TV and settled my head for a long fall's nap. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All of a sudden, we hear a giant CRAAACK and thump. The dogs and I were shaking in our boots. I bravely got up and looked out the patio door where I was shocked to see that a giant limb from my old elm tree had come down on the roof.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">After staring at it in awe for a while, I went back to bed - after all there was nothing else I could do. But the limb kept shifting on the roof (did I mention this happened because we were experiencing hurricane-force (over 80 mph) winds? Holly hid under the bed for about an hour, and then she was fine.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">But Gracie shook and shivered all night. Every time I managed to get her calmed down, the limb would shift some more, and she would start shivering all over again. The two of us were awake all night. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">I called in the next morning to tell my boss I was exhausted and traumatized, then I began the work of calling my insurance agent, contractors and my neighbor. (Some of the limb's branches fell on her roof too.) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Eventually the limb was removed and the roof was temporarily patched. (It had a six-inch hole and a 12-inch hole in it.) The roofer ultimately replaced half my roof, and a new gutter will have to be added to that side of the house.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">But, life calmed down, I got my insurance money (minus the deductible, of course), and Gracie calmed down. I bid adieu to Mayhem. However, he came back Monday evening.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Just before 10:00, I let the dogs out for the last time before bed. As usual, Holly comes tearing into the house, across the kitchen, the living room and dining room, and leaps onto a chair right by the front windows. All of a sudden I heard a crash - she had broken a window! "Oh, crap", I thought. "I'll have to call the glass guy in the morning."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">But all of a sudden, I realize she's bleeding. Before I get her corralled into the bathroom, she has bled in my living room, dining room, kitchen and bedroom (under the bed). Blood is just streaming out. I call the vet - let's just call her Dr. Leslie. She was majorly uninterested. Put some pressure on it, she says.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">First of all, it took me a while to find the actual wound. I though it was on one of her feet or legs, because they were covered in blood. I finally realized that she was bleeding heavily from a cut on her nose. I tried for a long time to put pressure on the wound but the bleeding wouldn't stop.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">I called Lazy Dr. Leslie again. Once again, she was very uncaring. I think she was in bed and wasn't about to get out from under her cozy covers to help Holly. Put some cornstarch on it, try the pressure again, and keep me posted, she says.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">I had visions of sitting in my bathroom watching my dog bleed and waiting all night for the vet's office to open, while Gracie whined from the bedroom, where she had been sequestered out of the way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">It took me an hour to finally stanch the blood, which kept pouring out at a steady rate. By then, Holly's head, which is almost all black, was pure white from nervous attempts to apply cornstarch, I had cornstarch all over my black slacks, and the bathroom floor was a mixture of blood and cornstarch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">There was more blood on the tub, floor, door and cabinets than you see in the true crime shows I love to watch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">After that, I had to clean the house, including rolling back the bloody oriental rugs to make sure the blood didn't seep into the hardwood floors. I also wanted to make sure the blood had stopped before I went to sleep.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Holly is just fine, although part of her nose may be pink for a while. The window will be fixed Monday. Mayhem, stay away from our house for a while. (PS - insurance doesn't cover Dog Mayhem.)</span></div>
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Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17693598787241469220noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88510949671163422.post-87448058628063512482015-08-24T12:36:00.003-06:002015-08-24T12:36:34.687-06:00THE DROUGHT IS OVER, I THINK<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"WOMAN READING" by Ivan Kraniskoy</span></div>
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It's been a long one, but I think the drought is finally over. I don't mean lack of rain here in North Dakota (however the downpour we had Saturday evening was the first time that we'd had a real soaker since the middle of July).</div>
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No, I mean my reading drought. I basically quit reading about the time that Dan was the sickest - the winter of 2013. I remember trying one dreary evening to get into a book after I had gotten him settled for the night, maybe a week before he died. I poured myself a drink and sat down in the living room. using his hospital table as my side table.<br />
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"You look tired," Dan said to me, the last sentence he ever uttered that was personally directed at me. I never did finish that book, and to this day I can't even stand to look at its cover without feeling sick.<br />
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From that moment on I quit reading, cold turkey. I think I equated reading with his illness and death.<br />
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Until this summer, I had picked up a book here or there but never gotten into any. I had not purchased a single book of fiction, except "American Boy" by Bismarck native, Larry Watson, and this only because my friend had encouraged me to attend a reading by him at Bismarck State College. I felt guilty about not supporting him when copies were being sold after the reading, so I bought one. That book also went unread.</div>
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All this, from a person who has devoured books since the time she learned to read. A person who at one time belonged to about eight book clubs at one time.</div>
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I majored in English literature in college, for Heaven's sake. And afterward, through the years I kept track of the bestsellers and the best-reviewed books. Although I didn't always follow recommendations, I read a lot of books from those groups.</div>
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I belonged to a book club for 17 and a half years. And in 2010, a year in which<em> </em>I was mostly unemployed, I read over 200 books. </div>
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And then came the drought. I never looked at a bestseller list once. I didn't know the names of any of the "good" books, the ones lauded by critics. </div>
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My sister-in-law, herself a prolific reader, knew about the drought and would ask me from time to time if I was reading again. She told me she had gone through similar sad times and had also stopped reading for a while. I thought I would begin to read again in a matter of weeks or months. I could not have imagined or fathomed the depth of this disconnect from the world of books.<br />
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But as I said, I think the drought is over now. I have read about six books this summer, sitting out on the deck during the long, light-filled evenings. One of the books I finally got around to reading was "American Boy", which I highly recommend.<br />
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Otherwise, I just scrounged around the house for unread books. And Sunday, I went to Barnes and Noble and actually purchase a book! I also spotted another one, but considering it too spendy, I went home and ordered a gently-used copy from amazon.com.<br />
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Now let the reading begin! </div>
Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17693598787241469220noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88510949671163422.post-85129065322362320762015-03-06T20:59:00.001-06:002015-03-07T14:57:10.317-06:00A RE-MUDDLED HOUSE<br />
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During this long, long winter, I have been addicted to two kinds of TV programs - true crime and DIY. Regarding the latter, I have seen programs where homes were built of freshly-cut logs, ones re-constructed from old barns, houses where contractors come in and "crash" a specific room (in a good way) and apartments re-decorated with a mind to eventually moving the fixings and trappings on to another home.<br />
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I've seen houses that have been flipped (including Vanilla Ice's million-dollar but slightly-tacky Florida homes) and houses that have been rehabbed - the difference being that rehabbers are purists who bring homes back to as close to original as possible while the flippers bring in all new materials and design. ("Rehab Addict" Nicole Curtis of Minneapolis, MN, being the best of the rehabbers. What that cute, petite little blonde won't do to rehab a house! She is first and last on the site with all of the tools, and I mean all tools - she can drive a payloader with the best of them!)<br />
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Therefore, it was with great interest that I noticed that my cousin Kevin from Minneapolis had e-mailed me a link to a house listed for sale in Mankato, MN.<br />
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The ad reads, in part: "Classy, brick and stone 2 story with Craftsman style flare in the historic Lincoln Park neighborhood. Charming features include high coved ceilings, bay windows, oak flooring, open staircase and 2 enclosed porches. Main floor: Over 1400 sq. ft., entry with open stairs, formal living room with bay window and oak floors, archway to spacious formal dining room also with oak flooring. Front bedroom with bay window."<br />
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Living room: I love the bay window with its leaded glass insert, and the hardwood floors.<br />
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Living room and dining room: Although my home is a one-story stucco cottage, I have archways in my living/dining areas very much like these, and red oak hardwood floors. The ceiling fixtures are ones I might pick out myself.<br />
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So good, so far. But then we get to the kitchen with its explosion of knotty pine. Oh, how I hate knotty pine. In my opinion the only place for knotty pine is in a rustic cabin deep in the Minnesota or Wisconsin woods.<br />
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And dear lord what is this room, with the sick green carpet/laminate (?) floor, a strange-sized and strangely-located window, and that brick wall and stove set into the corner by a patio door. What were they thinking?</div>
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These latter rooms, at least, add weight to Kevin's description of the house as being "re-muddled". I've never heard the term before, and I don't know if Kevin invented it or not, but what a great description.</div>
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But anyway, why would I devote so much space on my blog to a house for sale in Mankato, MN? The simple answer is that this was my Great-Great-Grandmother Jorgine Wangen's home, where she lived with her family from about 1900 to 1930.</div>
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How I wish I could see what the home looked like when Jorgine lived there. What kinds of furniture and draperies did they have? Did they own fine china and linens? Did she entertain a lot? Did they have servants? They must have had some sort of economic and financial status to afford a home like this. What kinds of bric-a-brac finds were unearthed during the re-muddle?</div>
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I only found out about Jorgine a few years ago, thanks to Kevin's genealogical sleuthing. What is most surprising to me is that my Grandmother, Julia Wangen, from Crosby, ND, never mentioned her. Did she not know that her grandmother lived just one state away? Did she know but had the family somehow disowned Jorgine?</div>
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Jorgine was Grandma's paternal grandmother. While Jorgine emigrated from Norway to the U.S., her son, Ole, and his family stayed in Norway. He and his wife, Margrete, lived on a farm surrounded by mountains in the Gudbrandsdal valley.</div>
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Why did they choose to stay behind in Norway? Both Ole and Margrete died at relatively young ages, one shortly after the other. It fell to their four teenage children to sell the farm and bravely immigrate to Canada (where Julia met my grandfather and eventually moved to Crosby with him).</div>
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Oh, such family mysteries and house mysteries. As much as I enjoy the DYI shows, I have let contractors do my work for me on my house. So far it has been mostly utilitarian - a new roof, new gutters, new front door, garage totally re-built. I did design my own deck to replace the rotted-out one but admittedly I did not stray too far from the original except in size. </div>
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As far as the interior of the house it only requires cosmetic changes which I will make if I can afford them. The basement has had water damage but I'm not touching it. I can't afford the major reno it would take to bring it up to par so it will fall to the next owners. I only use it for storage and laundry anyway. (And if I only could I would have the laundry on the main floor.)</div>
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No, there will be no flipping or rehabbing of my little house. But I can dream. What if I could get my hands on my OWN Great-Great-Grandma's house for a mere $139,900 and rehab it (for a gazillionmore dollars)? That would be a dream-come-true for this DIY-show addict. I could research the newspapers and see if the house was shown in any photos, see if Jorgine threw any grand fetes (hey, this is MY dream), and do research on the styles of Craftsmen homes. </div>
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Most of the hard work is done already. Although I didn't show their photos in this post, I could definitely live with the bathrooms and bedrooms. I would only need to tackle a few nightmares like the two rooms above and the enclosed porches. (Do not get me started on enclosing porches! What a way to ruin a great house!)</div>
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Anyway, as I said, I can always dream. "Hmm, let's get rid of that dreadful brick wall and stove and put in a real fireplace in another location with an oak mantel and an oak and Craftsman tile surround..."</div>
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Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17693598787241469220noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88510949671163422.post-65948774614736326572014-12-30T20:31:00.000-06:002014-12-30T20:31:07.344-06:00HAPPY HOLLY-DAYS<div align="center">
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Holly, the new addition</div>
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In honor of my new dog, I'm wishing you "Happy Holly-Days".</div>
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Holly and I ...</div>
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And Gracie and I ...</div>
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Hope you had a "Holly Jolly Christmas".</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSIlcg4Oz-Vot6g-yAp0Y_1mIk_m74LvHVZ_O5YnkYk6WEKP28Q1lttl0MZzZPz4niMjg10QhXxh2fXm_cnuP4nCmP8THOcmVEdJO2yO70hvbafPxWhLn7C4CxwGrHAPE1fK7eVuPxCG8/s1600/mom+and+holly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSIlcg4Oz-Vot6g-yAp0Y_1mIk_m74LvHVZ_O5YnkYk6WEKP28Q1lttl0MZzZPz4niMjg10QhXxh2fXm_cnuP4nCmP8THOcmVEdJO2yO70hvbafPxWhLn7C4CxwGrHAPE1fK7eVuPxCG8/s1600/mom+and+holly.jpg" height="320" width="234" /></a></div>
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I love my new puppy....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCk08Y5uDUJQda_xFmUeSYtKCs3-_5WGS0hBqxxyPLp2PK6-peEmVLNM_MMHMxN33RFtxdvZkbnpml2pOxLqvLmtnj4cNdqsTBttmr9efq-21nvpXsFKs0AVQhJR5APap5MdOx-rlbkWw/s1600/i+love+you.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCk08Y5uDUJQda_xFmUeSYtKCs3-_5WGS0hBqxxyPLp2PK6-peEmVLNM_MMHMxN33RFtxdvZkbnpml2pOxLqvLmtnj4cNdqsTBttmr9efq-21nvpXsFKs0AVQhJR5APap5MdOx-rlbkWw/s1600/i+love+you.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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My puppies love each other...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgab6Qj_TAgEGKJHFLXMbSLnd-uHIqMSWMeFLghM42zclV9xefHR6CXtsSPzh9Gr30QKwMBWOd84JLGOakD28F89FxIXGeWPXAq0jWKyEN8fNElQ7nPxGjpwXUjIZgUhNYgBxM_RF6yHN4/s1600/kristen+and+holly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgab6Qj_TAgEGKJHFLXMbSLnd-uHIqMSWMeFLghM42zclV9xefHR6CXtsSPzh9Gr30QKwMBWOd84JLGOakD28F89FxIXGeWPXAq0jWKyEN8fNElQ7nPxGjpwXUjIZgUhNYgBxM_RF6yHN4/s1600/kristen+and+holly.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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They love Kristen (Gracie </div>
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sez, "Lemme gibs u a kiss, Kristen")</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizKAA92gc9BrFnpZCu4y7AOSEGGIn7CbQHZghB0PDR5PZ-7ugHg5Ql96fVFiX7X3wdk9mSQ329gztMhxNMo5IHLScHcIBgsezvyqY3qlTMsPF00TDYLvxhlljWPiyMTtScI2xg_X8IFZQ/s1600/gracie+begging.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizKAA92gc9BrFnpZCu4y7AOSEGGIn7CbQHZghB0PDR5PZ-7ugHg5Ql96fVFiX7X3wdk9mSQ329gztMhxNMo5IHLScHcIBgsezvyqY3qlTMsPF00TDYLvxhlljWPiyMTtScI2xg_X8IFZQ/s1600/gracie+begging.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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And they love treats: "Kristen,</div>
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I'll gladly share your lunch!"<br /></div>
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I had meant to write a pre-Christmas post, but time just got away from me. I worked through Monday Dec. 22 and then rushed to clean, decorate and generally get the house ready before Kristen came home the next day.</div>
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A long time ago I read "Hollyhocks, Lambs and Other Pleasures" by a lovely woman named Dee Hardie. Dee loved Christmas, but always made a point never to go to the marketplace the week before Christmas. Try as I might over the years, I have never succeeded in doing this. But at least this year, I finished my Christmas gift shopping a week before Christmas, and the only markets I went to afterward were the supermarket, the hardware store and the pharmacy to get my meds. I feel I met the spirit, if not the actual letter, of this goal.</div>
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Every year, too, I try to find the peace, serenity, joy and familial love amid the noise and haste of Christmas, and every year I only partially succeed. This year, Kristen was sick for three days beginning Christmas Day, my sister was grouchy from working three 12-hour nursing shifts in a row including Christmas Eve/Day, and I was frazzled. It had been about 20 years since I cooked a giant holiday meal all by myself. Dan was the head chef and I was his helper. I must admit to some swearing and banging of pots and pans in the kitchen. </div>
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As usual the fine times outweighed the stressful times. Kristen and I had good visits after she got better, we went to a couple of movies, and ate out a lot with family and friends. (After my marathon cooking/dishwashing session I was done with cooking for a while.) We exchanged nice presents and invoked the memory of Dan. I did have tears in my eyes all through breakfast this morning before I dropped Kristen off at the airport, but now she is safely landed in Washington, DC and about to arrive home to her beloved kitties.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMvnjmlXRUijyqUdgtjZDAjVeTBQ_tR0KE-hNvy7VlJmsPxobURS2gttIJ4QzHb9rdfvoVW3UgIHGomZXF_qFFyEzaJ3wRbnpR7t6n30vNPzvHeC-9Bk3ocG3XaXDu7B-hV92zX_HTczo/s1600/holly+looking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMvnjmlXRUijyqUdgtjZDAjVeTBQ_tR0KE-hNvy7VlJmsPxobURS2gttIJ4QzHb9rdfvoVW3UgIHGomZXF_qFFyEzaJ3wRbnpR7t6n30vNPzvHeC-9Bk3ocG3XaXDu7B-hV92zX_HTczo/s1600/holly+looking.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Holly looking toward 2015.</div>
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Meanwhile, the dogs and I look forward in general to 2015 and in particular to tomorrow evening when I have the family over for a king crab and shrimp New Year's Eve dinner (which Kristen will not miss at all, not liking crab and shrimp).</div>
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Holly, especially, will love seeing her former owners, those being my niece Kelsey, her boyfriend Marcus, my sister Glori and my nephew Mike (joined for dinner by my great nephew Nicholas who has come from Idaho to live with his GG (Grandma Glori) and family.</div>
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Marcus found Holly wandering as a stray this summer. After trying in vain to find her owner, he and Kelsey adopted her and named her Molly. However, she harassed my sister's kitties, ate the cat food, got into the cat litter, and irritated Marcus' dog. So I adopted her the weekend of Thanksgiving.</div>
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Because I got her at the beginning of the Christmas season, and because I like Holly better, I re-named her. My family remains steadfast at calling her Molly but that's okay because she answers to both names. We don't know what kind of dog she is or how old, but we do know she is a sweetie pie and a cuddle bug.</div>
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Here's wishing you a wonderful 2015.</div>
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PS - Here's a picture of my beautiful daughter when she's well and not being kissed by a dog:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheY0P1ZBC68VfoeQoKVbgn_je1S-yPjPO7fRdif__-SjaCrsqxYk1AHFvTL0cAnmhdEWNfwPaVOlbSIkmLTj7Y3uns1hV0wKPCQt4T8h79Ynq_95c2jlQb6YpK0xU4f0lrc6Dx4c08Og8/s1600/kristen+new.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheY0P1ZBC68VfoeQoKVbgn_je1S-yPjPO7fRdif__-SjaCrsqxYk1AHFvTL0cAnmhdEWNfwPaVOlbSIkmLTj7Y3uns1hV0wKPCQt4T8h79Ynq_95c2jlQb6YpK0xU4f0lrc6Dx4c08Og8/s1600/kristen+new.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17693598787241469220noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88510949671163422.post-56073385218569970312014-09-22T12:44:00.000-06:002014-09-22T16:10:18.411-06:00AUTUMN ARRIVES<div align="center">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix2zYC3daNuUUo1GfaZSz_su1eBLmmV-q2TakZHLRxHB0t6cn6ASTyVAgQ30e7_ybA-_pCDCenKMWBWM0HPfy_AWe8nXVwf-FSIv-DuoKtEe4NBXip4BAfJqMLvO1XAabGjZbK4gvKezA/s1600/IMG_0093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix2zYC3daNuUUo1GfaZSz_su1eBLmmV-q2TakZHLRxHB0t6cn6ASTyVAgQ30e7_ybA-_pCDCenKMWBWM0HPfy_AWe8nXVwf-FSIv-DuoKtEe4NBXip4BAfJqMLvO1XAabGjZbK4gvKezA/s1600/IMG_0093.JPG" /></a></div>
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Happy Autumnal Equinox. Fall is arriving on a day that is decidedly un-fall-like. It promises to be into the 80s F today, so I will be able to sit outdoors and greet autumn when it arrives at 9:29 PM Central Time.</div>
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I don't know the title or the artist of the painting above, but it does speak to me at this time of year. Not just the colors, but the melancholy feeling it conveys. Summer is over. Some planned projects are unfinished, leaves are beginning to collect everywhere, there's a crisper tinge to the air and a general shabbiness to the foliage.</div>
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A couple of weeks ago, already, we had freeze warnings. I put my car in my "new" garage.<em> </em> I moved all my houseplants indoors and grouped together and covered as many of my potted annuals as I could. After all that, it did not freeze.</div>
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Then, about a week ago, we had a light freeze without warning. I did not put my car in the garage. I did not cover plants. I found myself scraping car windows the next morning, having thought I was done with that chore forever.</div>
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Fortunately, only my morning glories and sweet potato vines seem to have suffered. However, the march toward autumn is inexorable. One of my three luxuriant planters of impatiens has half yellow and half green leaves. The ivy that covers the fence between my neighbor to the north and myself has turned red. And while the trees are mostly still green, the tips of some have caught fire. </div>
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I have so many annuals that I cannot possibly cover them all. And while global warming has changed Bismarck's last average frost date from Sept. 21 to Sept. 30, there is a point beyond which I just have to stop trying to save my plants and accept the fact that autumn has descended.</div>
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So what did I and my helpers accomplish this year? An astounding amount, as it turns out. In the front yard, they installed my new cedar arbor, trimmed my hardy roses and added peat moss and manure to my existing garden beds so I could sow seeds. With the exception of the larkspur and cleome seeds, the marigold, bachelor button, cosmos and zinnia seeds just exploded.</div>
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Contractors totally re-built my old garage and seeded the lawn in my backyard. I created a new hydrangea border on the shady north side, featuring my re-located white archway, together with a new statue under the arch.</div>
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"Windblown" by Design Toscano</div>
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I transplanted my daylilies from the front yard to the back. I added a natural-wood-colored mulch to the areas previously covered by dirt. This alone changed the character of my backyard a thousand fold. We installed pavers to create a checkerboard courtyard garden, and planted the back half of it in shady perennials and the front half in sunny annuals. </div>
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We installed outdoor lights to match the Arts and Crafts/Mission style of my house.</div>
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But as I mentioned, there are still some small projects left unfinished - a new bed to be turned over on the sunny south side of the backyard, a gutter to be installed on the garage and a re-arrangement of fence panels and gates to make the yard escape proof against Gracie.</div>
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But as usual I am twisting in the wind, waiting for three contractors to get back to me. Unlike the seasons, some things never change.</div>
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Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17693598787241469220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88510949671163422.post-41213429594142080532014-08-31T12:17:00.000-06:002014-08-31T12:33:49.705-06:00WHERE HAVE ALL THE NEIGHBORS GONE?<br />
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"HELLO, NEIGHBOR" by Harry Anderson<br />
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Gracie and I are finally able to go into our backyard after a month staying off the newly-seeded grass. It was a pain for both of us, having her tied up in the front yard to do her business. There was one advantage though, and that was seeing a lot more of my neighbors.<br />
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As I worked on my flowers or hung out with Gracie, many people stopped by to chat about flowers and dogs and stucco cottages. Sometimes they caught me from the back view with my butt sticking up in the air as I pulled weeds. Gracie's rope was long enough for her to pass through the arbor and go just onto the sidewalk, so she sometimes surprised walkers and - more to the point - dog walkers. Fortunately, all was peaceful.<br />
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Americans used to see a lot more of their neighbors, when house had front porches and people sat out on them. Now, everyone has retreated to their decks and backyards. But summer after summer, as Dan and I enjoyed long evening after long evening on our deck, we wondered, where are our backyard neighbors? No one was enjoying their yards!<br />
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"OVER THE WALL", Helen Allingham</div>
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We moved into this house in August 1982 with infant Kristen. Now, 32 years later, I'm alone, and I still wonder where the neighbors are.<br />
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The way our house is situated, I can see five backyards well from my deck, plus two more mostly obscured by trees. I can see another if I walk to the back of the yard. Only Jim and Mary have been here longer than we have. Their teenage daughters babysat Kristen, and their youngest was pals with my nephew Nick, who lived with us when he was 5. Over the years their five kids grew up and moved away, and they have become grandparents. We are over-the-fence neighbors, Mary and Jim and I. Mary and I chat about kids and flowers, and Jim has cleared my sidewalks and driveways since Dan died and has generally been a vigilant, watchful guy looking out for possible trouble or waiting to see if I need help with anything.<br />
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"FRIENDLY NEIGHBORS", Henry J. Y. King</div>
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The neighbors on the corner used to spend their summer weekends at their lake cabin in Minnesota. When they sold that and started staying home, they build a tall privacy fence around the backyard. Of the other neighbors, I have seen many come and go. Each house has had at least two owners, and one has had five different owners. Of them, most of them seemed to have been allergic to fresh air.<br />
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Back in 1982, Grace, one of my across-the-driveway neighbors, was an elderly lady who couldn't venture out. I've never seen Lynn, the new owner, use the large backyard except to walk the short path from the garage to the house. I know she likes flowers because of the red and yellow tulips she planted for spring, and the red and yellow day lilies for summer, but they are all in the front. Just think of how many tulips and lilies she could plant in the back!<br />
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"TIGER LILY GARDEN" Original oil signed Eschmann</div>
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On the north side of me, Neighbor Nancy hated bugs and only came outdoors to hang her clothes on the line. Not liking bugs didn't make her an oddity, but she was certainly the only one in the neighborhood who still hung her clothes outside to dry.<br />
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In the house directly behind me, I never saw or met one of the home's owners, a single woman with a lot of kids. Only Brady and Evan, her two youngest, would venture through the line of pine trees and come into my yard to visit with me.<br />
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Most of my neighbors have been good, thank goodness. But when above-mentioned Nancy divorced Tim, she moved out and he stayed. A former good neighbor, he began having loud, wild parties that began after the bars closed at 1 a.m. As much as Dan and I liked Tim, we had to call the police on him several times so we could get some sleep.<br />
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(Not my photo - LOL - taken from the web)</div>
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When we first moved here, the lady who owned the house behind us had a yippy little white dog. One day that nasty thing unexpectedly came tearing under the pine trees and into my backyard, where it promptly latched onto and bit a little boy I was babysitting. Of course, the dog was quarantined. The lady had the NERVE to come to my house and bawl me out about temporarily losing her precious little Pookie - when I had witnessed her dog bite a child on MY property!!<br />
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I loved seeing the most recent homeowners in that house. A fairly-young couple, they had about eight kids - I never could keep the count straight - something like four kids of their own and four children they had adopted from Africa.<br />
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In summers, they would have parties and bonfires, and the kids would play on their trampoline, hammock, jungle gym and swing set. Happy kid noises and adult laughter filled the evenings. <br />
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Early this summer, it dawned on me - these neighbors haven't been around in a while. The house was so dark, the yard so silent and so sad. But their hot tub and lawn furniture and kids' equipment were still there - what in the world was going on?<br />
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Artist Unknown</div>
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Finally, on Friday I saw the mom (also named Kristen) working in her yard. Over the back fence, I asked, "Do you no longer live here?" She explained that she and Casey and the kids had been in Africa all summer. They had expected to there be a year or longer but had to come back because they could not get the kids enrolled in school. So at least they are here for now. Happy peals of laughter again spill across into my yard, the wood smoke wafts over too, and I don't feel so alone anymore.Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17693598787241469220noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88510949671163422.post-86762544785399700312014-08-01T13:07:00.001-06:002014-08-01T14:55:16.574-06:00LUGHNASADH/LAMMAS<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsF9Lq4Yer_oOLL_UBhyphenhypheno-GPO7B1T4EOWFi4F8bCv0uyxqogQbnSxp5Ubx2THYKE3McXJ3Pp88KYkwStxPbvGQ1rXBon8GRndhlvhaC0LHph_BTiJZYSe_D3xawu-lgExyZmYmjpImOVs/s1600/blogger-image-483347103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsF9Lq4Yer_oOLL_UBhyphenhypheno-GPO7B1T4EOWFi4F8bCv0uyxqogQbnSxp5Ubx2THYKE3McXJ3Pp88KYkwStxPbvGQ1rXBon8GRndhlvhaC0LHph_BTiJZYSe_D3xawu-lgExyZmYmjpImOVs/s1600/blogger-image-483347103.jpg" height="199" width="320" /></a></div>
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Happy Lughnasadh/Lammas everyone.<br />
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Lughnasadh, August 1, was the first harvest celebration of the season for the ancient Celts. The Christian church, on the other hand, called it Lammas, or Lammastide. The Celts held a big celebration with lots of food and drink, no doubt in the great outdoors. Christians brought loaves of bread to church to be blessed, and the church was decorated with sheaves of wheat and corn (wheat) dollies. And Hobbits, whatever they are, love Lammas bread (except for Sam who got kind of sick of eating only Lammas bread).<br />
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In any event, I can't believe it is August 1 already. I still have so much yard work to do. Sunday, Marcus and Kelsey dug up a bunch of daylilies that I am moving to the back yard. I gave four - each a different color - to a friend but still have plenty left for myself.<br />
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However, they are sitting in pots for now, because I can't move them to the back unless I weed back there. Someday, I will have all the blank spaces filled with plants, but for now, I am on weed patrol. It seems like as soon as I get the front done, the back is all weedy again. I will pretty much need a scythe this weekend; it has gotten that bad.<br />
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I still also have purple prairie coneflowers, vinca, lamium, Siberian and regular iris and hydrangeas to plant. But before I can plant the hydrangeas, I first have to put my white arbor in its (hopefully) permanent resting spot. But first (!) I have to wait until the grass is fully grown in.</div>
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The lawn was hydro seeded a week ago yesterday and yes, the grass is growing. It can't grow quickly enough. Gracie, who is used to having the run of the backyard, has to go potty in the front yard, where I have her on a rope. I hate doing this, but I am not going to ruin my new lawn after spending all that money on it.</div>
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The one nice thing about having Gracie going out the front door is that I am spending time with her out there, and I am seeing more of my neighbors. I have gotten many compliments on my flowers, which of course thrills me no end.</div>
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I only have a couple of eyesore areas left, the one being the dog run, which Gracie basically demolished, dog house and wooden flooring both, and dug big holes in the ground. </div>
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And of course, there's the Kingdom of Weeds in the way back.</div>
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My garage is looking good now, being totally refurbished and only in want of the door, which has to be installed by another company. It is so nice to be able to store my garden tools and miscellaneous other stuff in there, instead of having them scattered around the yard.</div>
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One of these Lughnasadhs I swear I am finally going to rent the movie shown above. It stars Meryl Streep and is about five Irish sisters and the happenings at the Lughnasa (alternate spelling) celebration in their town.<br />
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Because I work all day, I have no time to dance in the sun in celebration of Lughnasadh. I could do it tomorrow, but not on my newly-seeded lawn. What to do - I must find a meadow somewhere, put some wildflowers in my hair and dance, dance, dance. Anyone want to join me?</div>
Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17693598787241469220noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88510949671163422.post-47781685018572871232014-07-12T09:35:00.000-06:002014-07-12T09:35:00.433-06:00SUPERMOON TONIGHT<div align="center">
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Supermoon by Elizabeth Warner</div>
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There'll be a Supermoon Rising tonight. A supermoon appears much larger than a normal moon. Here's the scoop on supermoons from MSN News:<br />
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"The full moon on Saturday will appear to be unusually big. In fact, it will be a "supermoon."<br />
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That's the nickname for full moons that happen when our celestial neighbor is relatively close to Earth. That distance varies because the moon follows an elliptical orbit. When it's close and full, it appears bigger and brighter than normal, although in fact the difference can be hard to detect.<br />
If you see Saturday's moon close to the horizon it may seem huge, but that's just an illusion caused by its position in the sky."<br />
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Two other full moons this summer, on Aug. 10 and Sept. 9, are also supermoons.<br />
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Here's a video on the subject from Science at NASA (Thanks for the link, Leanne):<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1KKpeW231Y">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1KKpeW231Y</a><br />
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I hope I get to see the supermoon rising tonight. We promise to have clear skies, but the video warned that haze may obscure the view. We've had haze in Bismarck for days now, from forest fires burning in way northern Canada.<br />
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On the home front:<br />
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All the grass in the backyard is dead but the fill dirt hasn't been brought in yet so the hydro seeding hasn't been done. There's been a delay due to the wrong part being delivered for my contractor's tiller.<br />
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However, on the plus side, my other contractors are working on my garage at long, long last! They finished getting rid of the small amount of debris left over after my niece's fiancé and cousin cleaned out the garage this spring. They then proceeded to rip out as much of the rotted out stuff as they could. They tell me that the garage is in such bad condition that the only thing holding the walls up is the stucco! They have to work very slowly and carefully. I have been having visions of coming home to find the garage all collapsed. However, when I got home from work last evening they had 1/3 of the garage framed out (if that's what you call that procedure).<br />
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They are re-building the garage from the inside out when it would be easier to demo it and build a new one. However, they are committed to saving old stucco buildings from the 1920s-30s when possible, and, more importantly, the city building codes won't allow us to build a new garage in the same place as the old one. I would have to put the garage in my back yard, which is not going to happen. If some future owner wants to cut up the backyard and install a two-stall or more monstrosity, fine. I want my little cottage, plus garage and yard to look like they did when the house was built in 1929.<br />
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On the negative side, the garage is costing me $4,000 more than I had expected, so I am feeling extremely broke right now.<br />
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Most of the early summer's gardening work has been done, except for the usual watering, fertilizing and weeding. Of course, there are always plants to move around to a better place in the garden! The bare squares in the new checker board courtyard are almost completely filled in. I will try to get some pictures this weekend.</div>
Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17693598787241469220noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88510949671163422.post-53693743029827185702014-07-04T12:32:00.001-06:002014-07-04T12:32:12.246-06:00THINGS I HATE - SUMMER VERSION<br />
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Happy Fourth of July, everyone. It's a welcome day off for me. It was an extremely busy week with many people being on vacation. My department was only half staffed, meaning those few of us who were there had to work furiously to keep up.</div>
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Tonight I'm going to a BBQ at my sister's house in Lincoln, which is a bedroom community about five miles from Bismarck. Unlike Bismarck, Lincoln has no ban on the sale and purchase of fireworks, so it will be a cacophony of noise from all quarters. Mandan, our sister city across the river, also has no ban on fireworks. The amount of fireworks set off in that city prompted one of our local radio announcers to compare it to the Gulf War's "Shock and Awe". As I sat on my deck last evening, I could hear that the barrage had started one night early.</div>
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You'll note that I called this post "I HATE - SUMMER VERSION" and that the first picture I posted is of fireworks. While I love the colors and shapes of fireworks, I do hate the artillery-like boom from the huge displays. </div>
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I can vividly remember my mom and aunt taking me to the fireworks display at the Divide County Fair in Crosby, ND. When the booming started, I ran. I can remember crouching down behind a car, my knees in the gravel and my fingers stuck firmly in my ears. I still can't get used to the sound.</div>
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Therefore, I'm glad I won't be in Mandan tonight for another evening of "Shock and Awe", or in Bismarck for the stupendous fireworks display at the Capitol.</div>
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Other things I hate in the summer:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIS2lNWJjshWyGQLq4LQaQZmDVZKr70vEjh007EQTQqwhkmPmMXb_Z_WUa4Hwi_40e8bXIq0kllhUoadmL6zoUJIorH-cy2xIM0QFOreWKNK6-QzEZmts_eBxXYjfpF_Ko536qiOOl08I/s1600/rabbit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIS2lNWJjshWyGQLq4LQaQZmDVZKr70vEjh007EQTQqwhkmPmMXb_Z_WUa4Hwi_40e8bXIq0kllhUoadmL6zoUJIorH-cy2xIM0QFOreWKNK6-QzEZmts_eBxXYjfpF_Ko536qiOOl08I/s1600/rabbit.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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Rabbits. The damn things are eating my flowers down to the dirt. I have discovered they have a penchant for petunias, annual dianthus, and lilies, which they start chewing the minute they emerged from the ground this spring. They have never been this bad before. Last winter I often saw rabbits in the yard and I thought, "Oh, poor bunnies, I hope you are surviving the winter okay." Now it's Poor Bunny, my ass. I want to get a gun like Elmer Fudd's and shoot them all. </div>
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I also have murderous thoughts about campanula rapunculoides. This is actually a gorgeous wildflower also known as creeping bell flower or purple bell flower. If it would only behave itself, I would gladly welcome it into my garden, but it spreads like wildfire and becomes a noxious weed. It has even gotten into my lawn. I did some research and found a herbicide that supposedly kills it and ordered a special fertilizer/weed killer from the Internet. It did nothing. Further research indicates that it is almost impossible to eradicate, because it spreads runners deep underground.<br />
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To make matters worse, I had been blaming the almost identical adenophora, or lady bells, as being the culprit. I learned that while campanula r. is rampant, lady bells behave themselves like their namesakes and stay put where they are planted.<br />
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Earlier this spring I was enraged at the billions of elm tree seeds that wafted down upon everything in my yard. No matter how often I swept my deck or my niece swept the sidewalks, more fell. When the wind blows them into corners they look like drifts of light green snow. I don't know if I hate them more when they end up as a sodden clump of seeds or when they sprout in the ground and in all my potted plants.</div>
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I love my huge American elm that shades the deck, but over the years it has caused problems, not only with seeds, but also with sticky black juice from aphids or little green worms that suddenly descend on you from a gossamer string. At least the elm seeds are almost conquered for the year. On to the evil campanula and the wascally wabbits.</div>
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Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17693598787241469220noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88510949671163422.post-42069628590059630472014-06-22T10:33:00.002-06:002014-06-22T10:37:54.338-06:00Midsummer's Day<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPX3RV9m3PDDW9_nMmKiYdPP6bZZIsfxfam0G8FgtQklTJW6ilvM3wvR70knz5DRnR-MC4fRcCfXwIKMTJu5Oto4gmnCyyKGlqM8PDtmPAstMsYTq238R1B4Jd8KeUf9yE3hxBcex004Y/s1600/kevin+and+sheree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPX3RV9m3PDDW9_nMmKiYdPP6bZZIsfxfam0G8FgtQklTJW6ilvM3wvR70knz5DRnR-MC4fRcCfXwIKMTJu5Oto4gmnCyyKGlqM8PDtmPAstMsYTq238R1B4Jd8KeUf9yE3hxBcex004Y/s1600/kevin+and+sheree.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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Sheree and Kevin Wagner</div>
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It was a beautiful Midsummer Day here in Bismarck, capped off by a lovely evening wedding at The Post pioneer village south of Mandan. My best co-worker buddy and her long-time boyfriend were together nine years and engaged since Thanksgiving 2012. Not wanting to get married in a year with "13" in it, she chose June of 2014. </div>
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Believe me, she had planned this wedding thoroughly. There wasn't one detail she could have possibly missed. But there's always one thing you can't count on with North Dakota weddings like hers and mine - the weather. My own wedding day 40 years ago this month dawned windy, cloudy and cool, but cleared up and warmed up by 5:00 p.m.</div>
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It's days like these that make me glad that I live in North Dakota. The first feelings came to me as I crossed the Missouri from Bismarck to Mandan. Many boats were on the river, their occupants enjoying a fine evening on the water after a hot day. It made me wish I was on one of the speeding motorboats with spray in my face, or just tooling along on a pontoon, but no, I was on my way to a wedding.</div>
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Having driven mere blocks south of the Stage Stop Saloon corner in Mandan, then past the hill where I used to live, I was out in the countryside in mere minutes. The crops are all coming along nicely row up on row in the fields along the highway. Even virgin prairie was lush and green due to the recent rains, and the sweet clover was in bloom. There is nothing better than the scent of sweet clover wafting along the air on a summer's eve. The meadowlarks and bobolinks were singing their hearts out, and the wild roses were in bloom.</div>
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Behind the wedding arbor, the lowering sun sent shafts of light through a band of evergreens. A light breeze was just enough to waft any insects away. The bride, her maid of honor and her bridesmaids, which included her 12-year old daughter and 16-year-old stepdaughter, were all beautiful and perfectly simple with their wildflower bouquets. All the groomsmen, including Kevin's 19-year old son, were the picture of casual in their blue jeans, leather vests, and ivory western shirts.</div>
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We retired indoors for the reception, but another co-worker and I, the only other person I knew besides the bride and groom, left quite soon after the luncheon and toasts. I wanted to be outdoors again. I knew that most of the group would retire outside to the grounds again, and there was to be a bonfire and much partying into the night, but I don't drink and drive, so I headed home again in the still bright evening.</div>
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When I got to back to Bismarck I made a mad decision and stopped to buy a 4-pack of Seagram's Escapes Strawberry Daiquiris. I took my drink and sat outside on the deck. It was as peaceful in my backyard as it had been out on the prairie, but with different birdsong. Even though I was very tired, I was determined to stay out until it got dark. Since the sun set last night at 9:41 p.m., it was after 10:00 when I went in. I'd had a whopping two bottles of the flavored malt beverage. I poured myself into bed, thinking that was party enough for this gal on Midsummer's Day.</div>
Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17693598787241469220noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88510949671163422.post-92002993341474985792014-06-01T09:04:00.000-06:002014-06-01T09:24:55.845-06:00STAYCATION<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlbfvR28TStLMI8vdCXiHc85wbeIliwSpDZ45nsJPGnUMfvcy4XcG4PT5Qo9EYrb8kamK995EiQ9eceRrj6PnTdVmGEtmLmQIdFjzDmr3LafXYewZazBv8rMPR4kpQMZ0cA-817owZvdU/s1600/IMG_20140531_185923305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlbfvR28TStLMI8vdCXiHc85wbeIliwSpDZ45nsJPGnUMfvcy4XcG4PT5Qo9EYrb8kamK995EiQ9eceRrj6PnTdVmGEtmLmQIdFjzDmr3LafXYewZazBv8rMPR4kpQMZ0cA-817owZvdU/s1600/IMG_20140531_185923305.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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As of 5:00 Friday, I have been on vacation. It's a vacation of the very best kind - a staycation. I have nine days in a row to work on garden projects. Yesterday got off to a great start with the placement of 25 pavers in my "Celtic Courtyard". Last year my niece's fiancé, Marcus, installed the white lattice screen, moved my fountain and laid the brown pavers so I could place my Lutyen's bench. The other four brown pavers were placed here and there in the courtyard, along with the round "Tudor Rose" stepping stones. </div>
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When the "torrential" rains came last fall, the mud splashed up everywhere, and I knew I needed to have way more pavers and way less dirt. I only "guesstimated" the amount of pavers I would need, so Marcus will be picking up nine more to complete the checkerboard. He moved the four brown pavers so the old ones are all together. I thought the new ones were the same color, but I think they will work. All of the Tudor rose circles will be placed next to the walkway, and I'll be squaring off the courtyard at the far right end.<br />
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The few plants that are coming up by the bench and the fountain are day lilies. Someday I will have all of the dirt areas filled up with plants. This is a shady area, canopied by my huge elm tree. To the left is a grapevine fence that is only starting to green up. It fills in very lushly by the middle of the summer.<br />
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I will be moving the white arbor on the right, since it has been in the "wrong place" since my deck was built last fall and the lattice screen installed. (The deck is just to the right of the walkway.) I will also have to relocate the Dropmore honeysuckle, which has never grown well in the shade anyway.<br />
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One never realizes what will show up in a photo. Had I known, I would have removed the ugly hanging Off dispenser and moved the hose!<br />
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Here is another view of the courtyard, which also shows part of my backyard. The plants are starting to come up in my Unicorn Garden, which I showed you last summer. (Fragile Mr. Unicorn spent the winter in my bedroom for safekeeping. He will go outside today.)<br />
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I'm afraid I have lost a few of the perennials. I never did mulch last fall, first having a painful hernia and then recovering from surgery for a month. At the very far right end of the yard you will see my French bistro table and two chairs placed inside my "Welcome to The Fairy Bower" arbor under the lilac. (Personalized Arbor Plaque ordered from Plow and Hearth.)<br />
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I have a guy coming in to hydro seed this lawn, so hopefully future photos will show a lush greensward instead of dirt!<br />
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That's not the only project that was accomplished yesterday. Marcus and his cousin, Dustin, installed my new cedar arbor over the front sidewalk. Dustin proved to be somewhat of a rose expert, and cut back and trained my beautiful William Baffin climbing rose over the arbor. If you look closely at the top of the picture, you will be able to distinguish the rose foliage from the foliage of the elms across the street. Later this summer, we will tighten the strings on the climbing canes.</div>
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My mailman will love this change. He will no longer have to hack his way through the rose thorns to walk up my sidewalk! Dustin also trimmed back all of my rose shrubs, which will be blooming later this month, as will the William Baffin. He also trimmed the climbing Henry Kelsey rose and trained it up the left side of the arbor. Henry has never performed as well as William but I always relent and give him yet another summer to produce well.</div>
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I chose the Henry Kelsey rose because of my niece, Kelsey, and I have to give her kudos for actually working the longest yesterday. Hours before the guys even showed up, she was weeding my flower beds on both sides of the driveway, in and among the rose bushes and the flower bed to the left of my front step. I think she weeded for about five hours straight! Now my peonies and irises (currently in bud) will not have to compete with weeds when they show off their glorious blooms. </div>
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My three peonies are all Sarah Bernhardts: </div>
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I have a lovely unnamed lavender "heirloom" iris that a friend gave me, which is the linchpin of the driveway flower bed. I also planted some new irises last fall, and they are all growing vigorously:</div>
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This is Mariposa Autumn</div>
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Here is Gay Parasol</div>
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This one is Dakota Skies. I had to have </div>
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an iris with Dakota in the name!</div>
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I am so happy to have time off that does not involve surgery, infusions, bone marrow biopsies, and so forth. I am also so happy to be blessed with such great garden helpers.</div>
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Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17693598787241469220noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88510949671163422.post-20370108947490685792014-05-11T11:59:00.001-06:002014-05-11T14:36:02.785-06:00HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Happy Mother's Day everyone! I was having a pretty bad week at work last week, but all that changed Thursday when I came home from work and found a gorgeous hanging fuchsia basket waiting for me. For the second year, Kristen is carrying on a Mother's Day tradition started by Dan about 30 years ago. I have to bring it in at night because of low temperatures. It is still 10 days until average last frost.</div>
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I find myself making countdown lists of all sorts of things. On New Year's Day, I figured out that it was 104 days until spring. That's right, I chose a particular day (Tax Day) as my target date for the weather to be warm. We are a ways past that date this year but it is still quite cool.</div>
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As I mentioned in my previous post, I felt I had to make it past another milestone, that of the one-year anniversary of Dan's death.</div>
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Let's see, I mentioned the last frost countdown. It is two weeks until I take a one-week vacation. It is three weeks until I get paid so I can start buying plants. In 45 days I will turn 65 and will be eligible for Medicare. That is certainly a milestone, although I didn't sign up for Part B. In one year and 45 days I will be 66, a more significant milestone as I reach full retirement age. I won't be retiring but I will be able to work overtime and not have money taken away from me by Social Security.</div>
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My mom always scolded me for wishing my life away and she was right. I need to quit making countdowns and concentrate more on the "now". </div>
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I am slowly chipping away at all the work and projects that need to be done around here. I had already rounded up and boxed all of Dan's books. I gave away four boxes of paperbacks to the inmates at the state penitentiary. The organizer didn't want hardcovers .... hmmm, I wonder why?</div>
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Yesterday I started in on weeding out my books. I didn't get too much done, but I have eight full boxes of (mostly Dan's) hardcovers waiting to be donated to the library. My main goal yesterday was to get all books in the house off the floor. That has been accomplished. I won't say they've all been put away yet, but they are OFF THE FLOOR!</div>
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Earlier this year I got rid of my 30-year old water bed, dresser, armoire and night stands. Since I have few clothes and many books, I decided I would get a couple of bookcases to sit side by side in the bedroom. I chose these from Target:</div>
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They really look good in my blue bedroom. They are well made and were easy to assemble. In fact, they looked so good I also got two shorter bookcases to use for bedside tables, and a cool glass-front case to match. By the end of the day I should have the rest of the books put away and both my hall closets cleaned.<br />
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My niece's boyfriend and his cousin got my horror of a garage cleaned out in preparation for having my garage re-built this year. Last week during Paint Up, Clean Up, Fix Up week my yard looked like Sanford and Son's junkyard with all the stuff waiting at the curb to be picked up. The city only picks up really heavy stuff two weeks out of the year, so in addition to old wire fencing, two rickety cabinets, broken tools, moldy seed and fertilizer, etc. etc. they took away an old refrigerator and freezer. What a weight off my shoulders.<br />
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I had electricians come in and fix three lights that didn't work (bedroom, entry and porch) and install the above fixtures - one in the dining room and one in the living room. I love them (I especially wanted an umber shade and love the warm tone) but can't decide if they're too big for my smallish rooms. Maybe they're just bigger than my other fixtures and I have to get used to them. I scoured the Internet for weeks to find ones I liked at an affordable price. These are my third choice. (My first choice was $1,000 each fixture and my second choice $500 each.)</div>
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Just yesterday I ran across very similar fixtures - a bit smaller at five lights each and even less expensive, so I am kicking myself. However, I had to quit stalling and make a choice and now I have to quit second guessing myself. I had hated the old fixtures for 30 years. The dining room light was a 60s brass atrocity that Dan had broken all the globes on, and the living room light was a ceiling fan/light that vibrated so badly that I thought it would spin loose and decapitate someone like an airplane propeller.</div>
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The electrical company has also given me an estimate to install a couple of outdoor outlets so I can run my fountain and some fairy lights this summer. That is, if I can light a fire under my contractors to first fix the garage. They are the same ones I used for my house roof and deck last year but it's so hard to get them to commit to a schedule.</div>
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And finally (for now), I have a man coming out Monday to give me a quote for hydro seeding my backyard. I am tired of Gracie dragging in mud. I am tired of a yard that is half dirt and half weeds. </div>
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For about a week now, I have been seeing flashes of yellow when I look out my front windows or patio door. In fact, I usually see two flashes of yellow - pairs of goldfinches. We've always had goldfinches, but never so many. A few years ago a painted bunting was sighted near the western border of the state. The biologists figured a wind blew it in. Lord knows we've had enough wind here this winter and spring to have blown birds off course. They say it's an ill wind that blows no good so if it was indeed a wind that blew in these pretty birds, it was a very good wind.</div>
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Speaking of birds, a few minutes ago I watched two crows chasing a squirrel around the treetops. I've never seen this happen. No matter where he scurried they went after him. They went behind some other branches so I couldn't see what happened. I hope the poor fella got away!</div>
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Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17693598787241469220noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88510949671163422.post-10741648513592838312014-04-22T15:02:00.001-06:002014-04-22T18:15:54.583-06:00VIRGINIA BLUEBELL WOODS<br />
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These photos are for everyone, but especially for my English and Scottish readers (including Second Cousin Shirl in Golspie, Scotland), who have posted pictures of their English Bluebell Woods.<br />
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Taken by my sister-in-law Dana, these are Virginia Bluebell Woods. The woods are in Virginia, near where Dana and her husband live, and the flowers are indeed Virginia bluebells, Mertensia virginica.<br />
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I am so jealous of Dana's woods, and also of the English Bluebell Woods. I can hardly imagine seeing whole carpets of flowers. This would never happen in North Dakota. The only wildflower carpets you see are tons of dandelions dotting green lawns. <br />
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I have managed to grow a plant or two of Virginia bluebells in my garden, and a few grew wild under a tree at the station master's house in the village where I grew up. Maybe I will some day see blue bell woods - either in America or in England/Scotland.<br />
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By the way, the dog is Duke, a Wheaten Terrier. He seems to be having a fine time.<br />
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(Click on photos to enlarge.)<br />
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Above - Virginia Bluebell Woods</div>
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Below - English Bluebell Woods</div>
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I think the botanical name for English bluebells is hyacinthoides non-scripta. If I am mistaken, please let me know. </div>
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Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17693598787241469220noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88510949671163422.post-12125969817077262352014-04-19T08:06:00.000-06:002014-04-19T08:06:03.797-06:00Blessed Easter/Ostara<div align="center">
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I'm sitting here writing an Easter post when I should be preparing for hosting Easter dinner. I've had to move the celebration up to this evening, nearly 24 hours earlier than I had planned, because my nephew Mike has to work on Easter. He's a manager at Subway and you might ask, aren't the Subways closed on Easter Sunday? Well, yes they are, unless they're located in a WAL-MART!!<br />
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I've boycotted Wal-Mart for years, ever since I read "Take This Job and Shove It" by former ND Senator Byron Dorgan. First Wal-Mart destroyed small-town Main Street USA and shipped jobs overseas, now they are ruining American holidays! I remember when I was a child Sundays were closed down tight as a drum, with nary a shop open. Now I don't mind running to a Lowe's or a garden store on a fine Sunday afternoon, but what's so important to purchase on a holiday that can't wait one more day? Give me a break.<br />
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Anyway, I'm in a panic situation. Although I had Good Friday off, I was a couch potato. It was nice to laze around, but now I have to do everything today - finish the rest of my grocery shopping, clean, cook and bake. Yes, I, the famous non-baker, am baking. My friend Lila from the Indigo Blue blog posted an easy pineapple cake recipe on her Facebook that even I can follow. (Mix one 20-oz can crushed pineapple with juice and one angel food cake mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes in a greased 9x13 pan.) For my niece's fiancé, the one person in my family who does not care for pineapple, I bought a cherry kuchen. This should satisfy the taste buds of a good German boy.<br />
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I'm switching up the menu a bit. I am cooking a small ham and a turkey breast, but I am not making the traditional mashed potatoes and gravy or baked corn. Instead, I am making my famous French Bistro Potatoes (sliced potatoes, Swiss cheese, heavy cream and garlic!). My niece will make a salad. My sister, an RN, has to work today, a grueling 12-hour shift, which is why I volunteered to host, although it is difficult to host special occasions without Dan in the kitchen.<br />
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I know I will get everything done - I always do. And when I wake up Easter Sunday morning I will be relieved to know the work is done and I can relax and enjoy the 70 degree temperatures. The one time it was over 70 degrees this spring, I was at work and a cold front blew through by the time I left for home.<br />
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I really, really miss Easters when Kristen was home. None of us liked hard-boiled eggs, so I - I mean the Easter Bunny - hid those wonderful candy eggs with the marshmallow-y inside and the hard-sugar coating. I think they might have been Brach's. I believe they have quit making them; I certainly can't find them in Bismarck. <br />
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Of course I - I mean the Easter Bunny - also brought Kristen a well-stocked Easter basket. The year our foreign exchange student Valentina from Venezuela lived with us, the E.B. brought her one too, and she was delighted beyond measure! <br />
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My favorite Easter candy is Russell Stover Raspberry Whip Eggs. My sweet daughter sent me a box of them this week. In lieu of candy, which she no longer (or seldom) eats, I sent her an Olive Garden gift card. Who says you always have to be conventional, either in Easter food or Easter gifts?<br />
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As to Easter itself, I am ambiguous. I was raised as a Lutheran but I seem to have lost my religion along the way. Another blogging friend of mine, Mary from Moontides, calls herself a Christopagan. That seems to me to be a good description for myself. I try live my life by the teachings of Jesus Christ, but also have pagan leanings, a nod to my Scottish, Irish, Welsh and English Celtic roots. (And though not Celtic, my Viking ancestors were certainly pagan.)<br />
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This is also the season of Ostara, the pagan celebration of spring and the goddess Eostre or Ostara. So in ending, I wish you a blessed Easter and/or Ostara.<br />
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Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17693598787241469220noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88510949671163422.post-90560673961074695652014-03-30T20:05:00.000-06:002014-03-30T20:11:16.017-06:00MOVING ON - OR SEEDS OF A NEW BEGINNING<br />
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The wheel of the year is turning - slowly, yes, but inexorably. I feel it in a rejuvenation in my soul, in my spirit, in my body. It was a dreadful winter, with the introduction of a nasty new word into our collective vocabularies: Polar Vortex. The cold continues to plague us beyond the normal highs and lows for this time of year. <br />
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But I find that it is not the occasional warmer weather that invigorates me, but rather the return of the light.<br />
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No longer is it dark when I drive to work or when I arrive home. In fact, it's light until about 8 p.m. in our Northern Climes. It is in the return of longer days that I feel there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel (pun intended).<br />
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There are no leaves or green grass, but the snow is gone. There are no flowers, but I can hear the crows cawing. There is no working in the garden yet, but there are those rare days when coats need not be worn.<br />
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As with every other winter I have lived through since I was an adult, I mentally hibernated through winter. Of course I functioned on the surface - working and eating, interacting with friends and relatives, cleaning my house, taking care of my dog and even doing some enjoyable activities. However, it was all conducted on the surface. Deep down below, in Persephone's world, it was still all darkness.<br />
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But this year there was also another feeling that kept me inanimate, frozen - dead even - until the arrival of spring (meteorological spring at least). Dan passed away last March 23, just three days after the equinox. I somehow felt that I had to surpass that monumental milestone of the one-year anniversary of his death to move completely on.<br />
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This year I have gone through so much and done so many things I'd never done before. I wasn't one of those widows who could not balance her own checkbook, for god's sake, but I relied on Dan for a lot of things.<br />
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This year I fought for and won all of the benefits and payments due me and was, I think, a good steward of the insurance funds left to me. I pay my bills on time and have some savings. I had essential repairs done to the house so I can sell it for a good price if I get to that point. I prepped my car for winter and warmed it up every frigid morning. I nursed it along through its problems until it needed to be put out its misery. I purchased a new (used) car, albeit with the invaluable help of my niece and her fiancé.<br />
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In the midst of all the other turmoil, I fought hard for my jeopardized job and kept it. I attempted to have surgery, found out that I had ITP (low blood platelets), went through a lot of tests and treatment over the summer, including a bone marrow biopsy, and finally had hernia surgery at the very end of September.<br />
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I learned in January that my platelet count is normal, and though my doctor was not quite ready to declare that I am in spontaneous remission, he may do so in July.<br />
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But of all the things I endured and accomplished this past year, this is the absolute most important: I think I have finally worked through all of the anger I had toward Dan and the whole situation. More and more, my memories are not of that sick, emaciated, mean and angry man, but of the other, happy and sweet young man of our courtship, early marriage and birth of our daughter.<br />
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Time to move on toward springtime - to new garden projects, to getting a new roof on the garage, to sorting and decluttering, to cleaning and painting. In short, to sowing seeds, both literally and figuratively. Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17693598787241469220noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88510949671163422.post-60051947459957786802013-12-28T22:27:00.004-06:002013-12-28T22:29:28.919-06:00GRACIE LOU WHO<br />
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Christmas Eve, while waiting for dinner to be ready at my sister's house, we were gathered around the table watching that Christmas classic, "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas."</div>
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Okay, I admit that this is NOT one of my favorite Christmas movies. I don't care for Jim Carrey at all, and I find Whoville quite bizarre. But I mention it because Kristen asked me - because I often call Gracie "Gracie Lou" - if I ever called her "Gracie Lou Who". I admit, I do like this name very much and henceforth she will often be called Gracie Lou Who. That's in addition to Scooby Doo, Lucy Lou and Lulu, all derived from nonsensical pet talk.</div>
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This past fall I got a new (thrift shop) couch. With my previous couch, Gracie was able to walk across the top of the couch. The first time my niece's boyfriend saw her do this, he exclaimed, "What is she, a mountain goat?" </div>
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Due to its curved shape, the back of this couch is a bit more difficult to navigate, but Gracie does manage to walk across it, and also to lie on its back, as you can see by this photo taken by Kristen on Tuesday.</div>
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Unbelievably, Gracie preferred sleeping on this perch, the dining room floor, my bed, or "her" chair, to sleeping on her brand new Christmas present, a beautiful big doggie bed with blue corduroy bottom and beige fleece top. As the old saying goes, you can lead a dog to her new bed, but you can't make her sleep on it.</div>
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Imagine my delight this evening when she went to her bed, sniffed it thoroughly, gingerly stepped into it, circled three time and snuggled down for a long winter's nap. </div>
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Merry Christmas, Gracie Lou Who.</div>
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Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17693598787241469220noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88510949671163422.post-26779831572411616612013-12-21T11:12:00.000-06:002013-12-21T11:12:43.020-06:00THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT<br />
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Especially for you, Leanne, a green-robed Father Christmas</div>
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Two people in the past week have commented here to wonder where I am. I think they meant, "Are you still alive?"</div>
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I am still here. My surgery went very well and my recovery went smoothly. My surgeon was able to do everything laparoscopically. I can now bend over and kneel down without pain and nausea. I can even sneeze without pain again! </div>
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My deck is built, my roof has new shingles and gutters were finally installed. These (including the surgery) were my big projects for the year and they are all accomplished. Of course, now I'm planning projects for next year, mostly for the yard.</div>
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This may end up being my one and only Christmas post. A few months ago I had thought about not having Christmas at all. With Dan being gone, I know it will not be the same. He loved Christmas!</div>
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Kristen had even invited me out to stay with her in Virginia, thinking we would be less sad, but I told her that it will be sad anywhere we are, and I didn't want to board Gracie.</div>
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I finally decided to observe the holidays in the full-blown way I always have. I decided that to not celebrate this most wonderful time of the year would not be fair to Kristen or to my sister's family.</div>
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I did break down and buy an artificial tree after 40 years of buying real trees with Dan. Although I miss the evergreen scent, I don't have to deal with a dried-out tree and needles everywhere. The tree is pre-lit with tiny white lights, which is good, because the bubble lights Dan and I always used - as a tribute to our 1950s childhoods - were becoming harder and harder to find, and the ones we had mostly quit bubbling.</div>
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I also did not want to drag out the 30 years of ornaments we had accumulated since our house fire in 1982, so I bought ornaments reflecting my love of nature - birds, butterflies and dragonflies.</div>
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Thing have not all been hunky dory in the past few weeks. We had an ice storm two weeks ago and I fell and sprained my hand. At least I was not one of the many, many Bismarck residents who ended up in the emergency room with broken bones.</div>
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I have also had terrible trouble with my car not starting in this awful cold. But finally - after many dollars spent, with new battery, engine heater fixed, new plugs and points, it is ready to withstand those -20 mornings we've already experienced this season.</div>
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Even after this horrible, horrible year of 2013, life is full of blessings, the main one right now being the fact that Kristen flies in Monday morning! I am warm and fed and loved and gainfully employed, and will soon be celebrating Christmas with my family. </div>
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So Best Solstice, Yule and Christmas Wishes to all of you and hopes for 2014 to be the best ever.</div>
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Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17693598787241469220noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88510949671163422.post-32545272203655122452013-09-08T19:57:00.000-06:002013-09-08T20:02:10.712-06:00I'M STILL HERE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I haven't posted since July and thought it was about time I brought you up to date. <br />
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On Friday I found out that I can finally have my hernia surgery. I was supposed to have it on May 17, but in pre-op lab tests that morning they found out that my blood platelet count was very low and canceled my surgery because I would have bled to death during the operation (platelets help with the clotting of blood.)<br />
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It has been an interesting summer as they tried to find out what was the matter with me. While I was still at the hospital, they ran some tests which revealed that I had very, very low levels of Vitamin B-12, which can affect platelet production. I began having Vitamin-B injections - daily at first, and then weekly. After a month, my doctor, who is an oncologist/hematologist, said that my Vitamin B-12 count was normal but my platelet count wasn't, so that was not the cause.<br />
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To see if my bone marrow was failing to produce platelets, I had a bone marrow biopsy, which can be very painful, but lucky me, I felt no pain from it. It took forever to get the results, but finally I found out that my bone marrow is producing tons of nice, normal, healthy platelets. This showed that I did not have cancer - no leukemia or lymphoma - which was a great relief. (I got my bill on Saturday for the biopsy - $8,000, of which insurance paid $5,000.)<br />
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My doctor by then was pretty sure I had ITP, idiopathic (old term)/immuno (new term) thrombocytopenic purpura, and that my spleen was eating up my platelets. I had an ultrasound to see if my spleen was enlarged. (It isn't.)<br />
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I also had an infusion of IVIG, immunogammaglobulin. Friday, after a four-week wait, I found out this was very successful, and my platelet count went back up to normal. (My doctor says this proves I have ITP.) Therefore, I can schedule my surgery. Five to seven days before the operation, I will have another infusion to make sure my platelet count is plentiful.<br />
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Having a hernia all summer meant that I could not bend over without nausea or pain, much less plant and weed. Fortunately, I had a lot of helpers. My first helper helped me create my Unicorn Garden, pictured above. He contributed the labor; I did the design and bought the plants.<br />
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For my gardening readers, the plants in the garden are: coreopsis, yellow lilies, orange lilies, liatris, purple prairie coneflowers, rudbeckia, salvia, yarrow, red phlox, lady's mantle, lamb's ears, veronica (speedwell), delphinium, Shasta daisies, balloon flowers, bee balm and penstemon. <br />
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My niece, Kelsey, had to take three pictures before she could get a dog-free photo! Yes, that's Gracie in the garden, holding a rawhide treat in her mouth. She probably thought the Unicorn Garden would bee a great place to hide the treat, because the unicorn would certainly protect it from thieves! (The unicorn comes from Design Toscano.)<br />
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Unfortunately I had to fire my first helper, because I believe he cheated me out of hours, so I turned to Kelsey and her boyfriend, Marcus. Between them and the guy who mows my lawn, they did just a tremendous amount of work. They hauled stuff to the dump, weeded and weeded, put up lattice panels, planted, spread grass seed on the bare spots, moved a ton of pavers, cut down grapevines which threatened to take over the yard and pruned the hedge. Kudos also to my co-worker and her fiance who put together two garden benches and an arbor. <br />
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The Unicorn Garden was the first phase of my garden design to be completed. The front yard is also basically complete. I have added dragonfly garden decorations such as flags and wind chimes, and installed a sign stating that my home is named Dragonfly House. Unlike in England, American people don't name their homes, but I wanted to name mine. It may seem pretentious but I thought, I am an Old Lady now, I can wear purple and do as I please! And I am pleased to give my house a name!<br />
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I thought of many fanciful names, including La Maison des Roses, which would certainly fit my front yard, but decided on Dragonfly House because once a year, gorgeous giant blue dragonflies hold a convention here, perching on the front walls of my gray house. Plus, dragonflies are a symbol of great luck<br />
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Partially done areas in my backyard are my Celtic Lady's Garden, named for my blog and containing Celtic symbols such as dragons, elves and a Celtic maiden statue; my Fairy Garden which is planted with daylilies and holds many fairy statutes; and my Moonlit Meadow Garden with a moongazy rabbit, fox and barn owl statues and a Forest Lady. This is temporary planted with daylilies but will hopefully be seeded with a lot of meadow flowers next spring.<br />
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I also have a "wall" of Green Men and Women plaques, and plan to install a miniature fairy garden by the larger Fairy Garden.<br />
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The end of the growing season is approaching swiftly here in North Dakota, but I will keep you posted with photos as things progress next year, and will also keep you up to date on my surgery.Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17693598787241469220noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88510949671163422.post-85917452775602817452013-07-03T16:41:00.000-06:002013-07-03T16:42:01.016-06:00IT'S ALWAYS SOMETHING<br />
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<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">I was at the clinic earlier this afternoon to see if the Vitamin B12 was helping my low blood platelet count. Now my hematologist thinks I have ITP, Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, an autoimmune disease. I was hoping to find out that the tests he had done showed I had pernicious anemia, which means my body has trouble absorbing Vitamin B12, causing the platelet level to drop. That is not the case. It looks like my spleen is destroying my platelets. I am having a blood marrow biopsy at the end of July. And of course my hernia surgery isn't going to happen for a long time, as my platelets are only up to 70,000 after Vitamin B12 injections.</span>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17693598787241469220noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88510949671163422.post-31471073449966945702013-05-19T09:57:00.001-06:002013-05-19T09:57:43.457-06:00MORE TROUBLES<br />
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Really? Really? Haven't I been through enough in the past year and a half? The first - and worst - that happened was that Dan was diagnosed with cancer. He went into remission a year ago April and we had a not-too-bad summer. Then, in the fall, I started having problems with my "lady parts" and had tests for uterine cancer, cervical cancer and ovarian cancer. I sweated through the results, which all turned out to be negative. I ended up having surgery and thought all was well.</div>
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I started having abdominal/pelvic pain and nausea around Christmas time but didn't tell anyone. Then, at the end of January Dan went instantly and profoundly deaf. Shortly afterward, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor.</div>
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As regular readers know, Dan's condition deteriorated swiftly. He was put under hospice care and passed away on March 23. </div>
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What I hadn't written in my blog is that I was having a terrible time at work and suffered extreme emotional distress over it.</div>
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Finally, the work problems got better about the end of April. Although I was fighting all kinds of red tape to try to get Dan's Social Security and other monthly income transferred to me, I was slowly recovering from his death. I took time to go to my family doctor for my tummy problems and after a CT scan it was determined that I had a hernia - caused by my prior surgery.</div>
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I make an appointment to see a surgeon. He's a great guy - I like him and trust him and we decide I should have surgery May 17. Okay, fine, just another thing to get through. I booked two weeks off at work and arranged for Gracie's care during my overnight stay.</div>
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So there I was Friday morning. My sister had picked me up at o'dark thirty. I had been poked for labs and was sitting in my (not) pretty hospital gown, already getting fluids via IV. That's when the bomb dropped. They said they had to cancel the surgery because my blood platelets were so low. My surgeon admitted me to the hospital and called in a medical doctor to run a bunch of tests.</div>
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Your blood platelet count should be no lower than 150,000. Mine was at 49,000. The doctors were concerned that my count had fallen so low so quickly because they were at low normal when I saw my doctor in April.</div>
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They took enough blood to satisfy a vampire for six months. They decided I didn't need to sit around in the hospital waiting for results so they sent me home at 5:00. I will be seeing a hematologist in about a week. </div>
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There could be a lot of reasons for low blood platelets - or the official term, thrombocytopenia. It could be as simple and fixable as a vitamin deficiency. Or, it could be worse. So here I sit, playing the waiting game yet again.</div>
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Really? Really? Haven't I been though enough lately?</div>
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Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17693598787241469220noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88510949671163422.post-91510313661710709842013-05-18T18:17:00.004-06:002013-05-18T18:19:36.502-06:00CONGRATULATIONS, MINNESOTA!<br />
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Congratulations to my cousin, Kevin (white shirt,) and his husband, Will (behind him to the right) on the marriage equality bill being signed in Minnesota.</div>
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Kevin and Will have been through a civil ceremony in Iowa and a religious (Lutheran) ceremony in Minnesota, and they say two ceremonies are enough, but congratulations to all the other gay Minnesotans who can now marry and have equal rights under the law with any other couple.</div>
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A comment posted on Kevin's Facebook page: </div>
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<a aria-haspopup="true" aria-owns="js_11" class="UFICommentActorName" data-ft="{"tn":";"}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/hovercard.php?id=501051951&extragetparams=%7B%22hc_location%22%3A%22ufi%22%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/christopher.hoven.1" id=".reactRoot[79].[1][4][1]{comment10200108597577489_49425238}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][0]">Christopher Hoven</a><span id=".reactRoot[79].[1][4][1]{comment10200108597577489_49425238}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][1]">: </span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[79].[1][4][1]{comment10200108597577489_49425238}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[79].[1][4][1]{comment10200108597577489_49425238}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[79].[1][4][1]{comment10200108597577489_49425238}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[0]">And if Hubert H. Humphrey were alive today, he'd probably say, "My fellow Minnesotans, today we have stepped out of the dark shadows of state's rights and have walked into the bright sunshine of human rights, of civil rights!"</span></span></span></div>
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I have power over comments and will not allow any gay-bashing ones on this post. It's time to come out of the Dark Ages, people. Please don't tell me God loves the sinners but hates the sin. God doesn't think homosexuality is a sin. And guess what, that guy in the red and white striped shirt? He's a pastor. 'Nuff said.</div>
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Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17693598787241469220noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88510949671163422.post-28974365796271015882013-05-12T10:23:00.000-06:002013-05-12T10:26:46.588-06:00HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgydrU-JnvHr6gfXcqbE-FafbMQcRVieeQbECm5hWuYqCm8E1qASu7ID8r1ahpcbixGZZF-IdpQ-Tub3CiRhSzbDP-QtdQdfIVHCNeluE1D5zWrHbd4N0fQeGIaMTXI0HLydh_BWvRBDtI/s1600/CHARLES-COURTNEY-CURRAN-THE-LANTERNS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgydrU-JnvHr6gfXcqbE-FafbMQcRVieeQbECm5hWuYqCm8E1qASu7ID8r1ahpcbixGZZF-IdpQ-Tub3CiRhSzbDP-QtdQdfIVHCNeluE1D5zWrHbd4N0fQeGIaMTXI0HLydh_BWvRBDtI/s400/CHARLES-COURTNEY-CURRAN-THE-LANTERNS.jpg" width="390" /></a></div>
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"THE LANTERNS"</div>
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Charles Courtney Curran</div>
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Happy Mother's Day to all who celebrate it on this day. Happy Mother's Day especially to my sister, Glori, and to my sisters-in-law who read my blog, Bonny in Idaho and Dana in Virginia. Also Happy Mother's Day to my Mom in heaven.</div>
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I was dreading Mother's Day this year, because it is the first Mother's Day without Dan. Of course, Mother's Day is for children to honor their mothers, but Dan always got me a present too. The very first time, I was still pregnant, 7 months along. He gave me a floral arrangement in a blue, white and green large ceramic cup. A month later our home was destroyed by a fire, but I still have that cup, because I had had it at work. It was among the first things I brought into our new home.</div>
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For the past 25 years or more, Dan had bought me a hanging fuchsia basket to hang on the deck. It has become a family tradition. I was sad this year that I wouldn't be getting a fuchsia.</div>
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Imagine my surprise and delight when I got home from work Friday afternoon and there was a giant fuchsia-and-white colored fuchsia on my dining room table. When Kristen was home for Dan's funeral she had given Glori the money to get me one for Mother's Day. Talk about a thoughtful daughter!</div>
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Of course, my best Mother's Day present has always been Kristen. I had trouble with carrying babies and lost two before her and two after her. She was the only little soul to survive to birth.</div>
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And I am so glad she was the one. She's always been such a good kid. I remember one time when she was little the house got very quiet and I decided I'd better go see what she was doing. I found her sitting on the kitchen counter, the lid off the sugar canister and mountains of sugar all over the counter. I didn't get mad - I was too shocked.</div>
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In that way, she was very unlike her dad when he was growing up. His mom, Lillian, told the story of how she was always having to tell his older brothers to "Go find Danny and tell him to stop it."</div>
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Kristen, you are so smart, funny, sensitive and caring. You're so beautiful too - and your beauty is on the inside as well as the outside. Thank you for being my daughter.</div>
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As for myself, I continue to recover from Dan's illness and death. Work is going much better now, but I am still trying to fight with pension fund holders and oil well companies to get the income Dan was receiving each month. One happy surprise was how easy and pleasant it was to set the wheels in motion to get his Social Security.</div>
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Another pleasant surprise was how swiftly the life insurance was handled by the North Dakota Public Employees Retirement System. Now that I have insurance, I am busy arranging for a new roof and a new deck, without which I will never be able to sell the house, should I ever decide to sell.</div>
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And also, I am getting a new front door. The door we have is original to our 1929 stucco bungalow, and the inside door knob fell off so many times we started using a needle-nose pliers to open the door (Necessity is the Mother of Invention). My brother-in-law, Dick, had been worried for my safety so Dick, you will be glad to know, yes, I have set up an appointment for someone to come by and measure for a new door.</div>
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Glori and I treated ourselves to a modest Mother's Day lunch at Fried's German Restaurant in Mandan yesterday. We were happy to note that the forsythia is in bloom, and I saw a few yellow tulips, though most were still only in bud.</div>
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The painting above is featured in a gift book called "My Wish For You". The wish that accompanies this painting is "Many Lovely Evenings". I wish many lovely evenings for all of you this summer.</div>
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Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17693598787241469220noreply@blogger.com7