Category Archives: family

by | June 9, 2012 · 10:07 pm

The hurrieder I go, the behinder I get

Benjamin Franklin wanted “Tempus Fugit” (time flees) as the motto of the United States, and had that motto placed on some of the Continental Congress coinage. Working extra hours shortens my week, of course. I swear about the time Silverlight starts making sense something else throws me for a loop. I know my brain is not functioning at anywhere near 100%, which isn’t helping. I keep blanking out on stuff that I know.

Minnesota Oncology sent a sympathy card that arrived on Monday because the post office screwed up delivery. It was very nice of them to send the card. Lucy and I knew she got the best possible care there.

There were three birthdays, Jane on the 6th, John on the 7th and Julie G. on the 8th, that I haven’t properly acknowledged. Happy belated birthday to each of you.

The flower gardens are hitting their stride. I need to get a few more photos in the photo gallery. The Asian lilies are spectacular this year and the ancient and sickly peony actually bloomed. It looks like I’ll get a pretty good crop of blackberries and raspberries and the string beans I am growing in containers on the deck are setting flower buds. Now that the monsoon season has ended, the lawn doesn’t require twice per week mowing.

Lucy would be happy with the increased number of monarchs I am seeing. Monarchs had a huge population crash several years ago when a large wintering area for them got unseasonably cold and killed a few billion of them. The dragonflies are busy and I’m seeing sphinx moths, which almost look like hummingbirds. I have not seen a hummingbird yet this year, but I’m sure they are out there.

Wednesday will be two months since Lucy’s passing. In some ways, it doesn’t seem like it’s been that long, yet in other ways, it seems like two million years.

The weather has cooperated nicely for the Twin Cities area as of late. It sounds like tomorrow night could bring some rain and possibly a few storms our way. The air conditioner has been getting a workout lately, too.

Give our loved ones a hug tonight and make it meaningful. You may be surprised at how much a good hug is appreciated, especially when they go from plentiful to scarce.

Leave a Comment

Filed under family, friends, gardening, rebuilding, weather

by | May 28, 2012 · 9:51 pm

Memorial Day 2012

My trip back from Luverne last night was an adventure. I was delayed in Worthington for almost 30 minutes because of a hail storm (no visible damage to the car). Then I was delayed for about 20 minutes near Jackson because of horizontal torrential rain. The next delay was from Fairmont to Alden because of high winds and wet highways. At least I missed the storm that hit the Twin Cities because it had wound down by the time I pulled into my driveway. It took almost two hours longer than usual, but it was worth it.

After a few hours dealing with a work issue this morning, I went to Dawn Valley for their Memorial Day service. I wound up walking about a half mile to the cemetery, but got to drive in a little later. The service was very touching and I spent some time with Lucy while I was there. At least I was smart enough to bring Kleenex this time.

My dad’s side of the family has a number of generations that served in the military here in the US and back in the “old country” (Norway). I entered college as the Viet Nam war ended and got to know a number of veterans, and was shocked at how despicably they were treated by society at the time. It was bad enough that many of them were drafted. They got forced to serve, then got treated like garbage when they get back. No wonder there were many who suffered greatly after coming home.

Because of surgery on my left ankle (and not because of my left hand) I had a medical deferment. It was a moot point because the draft ended 28 days after my 18th birthday. While I couldn’t serve, I am very appreciative of those who did serve, either by draft or volunteering. To the veterans reading this, thank you so much for your service.

Julie G. invited me to a BBQ tonight. Suzy and Bob were also there. I was so fortunate to be able to spend time with both my families this weekend. There is nothing like good food, lots of laughter, smiles, and hugs to lift one’s spirits. I am really blessed by having them in my life. It’s going to be a really busy week in the office, so this weekend was a great pick-me-up.

Thank you for your support, for giving your time to reading this blog, and for keeping Lucy’s memory alive.

Leave a Comment

Filed under family, rebuilding, weather

by | May 27, 2012 · 5:48 pm

Cacti in Minnesota? You betcha!

Prickly pear cactus is native to a small area in southwestern Minnesota. This stand is growing right outside my parents’ front door. Blue Mounds State Park has prickly pears growing throughout the park. I was too early to see them bloom this year.

Even more rain is rolling in tonight. The forecast is for 1″ – 2″ tonight, and then decent weather tomorrow. Perhaps this will start drying out. I’ve had 7.7″ of rain this month already. That’s close to 4″ above “normal”.

Even though it was a quick trip, it was nice to get away for the weekend. I think the last time I had a weekend away from home, excluding Lucy’s hospitalizations, was in August.

Tomorrow is Memorial Day. Dawn Valley is having an open house and hosting a Memorial Day service. Please remember why Memorial Day occurs, and as always, give your loved ones some extra attention tomorrow.

Prickly pear cactus

Almost ready to bloom!

Leave a Comment

Filed under family, gardening, rebuilding, weather

by | May 23, 2012 · 10:22 pm

And the forecast calls for rain

Remember when nearly all the weather folks in the Twin Cities were bemoaning the drought ad nauseam? We’re not hearing too much about that anymore. Some areas are going to get over 3″ of rain tonight. I’ve been treated to a good sound and light show (thunder and lightning). Everything is green and lush. I think I’ll be picking blackberries in two weeks and raspberries in about four weeks. Neither apple tree bloomed this year, though.

I met my cousin Julie at Jake’s City Grille in Eden Prairie after work. It was nice catching up a bit. I needed the decompression time. The garlic burger was very good. As we were leaving because of the impending deluge, “Second Chance” started playing as the background music. The rain even held off until I got home.

Apparently the bronze vases at the local cemeteries are being stolen in large numbers. Just a couple of years ago, many bronze grave markers for veterans were stolen for scrap. One must be a particularly vile low life to steal from the dead.

Remember to give your special someone a hug tonight.

Leave a Comment

Filed under family, gardening, rebuilding, weather

by | May 13, 2012 · 8:32 pm

One month

Today marks one month since Lucy passed away. My parents and I went to breakfast, and then we stopped by the cemetery to visit Lucy. They left about 10:30 this morning.

I saw my first monarch butterfly today. Lucy enjoyed butterflies and hummingbirds. The painted lady butterflies have been around for well over a month, but Lucy would be excited seeing the first monarch of the season. Late this afternoon I heard a fox yipping and barking. My guess is a pair is scouting locations for a den. It was this time last year a male and female were in the neighborhood.

The gardens really kicked into gear now that the weather has warmed up again and the rain has stopped for a few days. OK, so the fool living southwest of me is watering his back yard and then will gripe loudly and profanely about the mosquitoes. You would think that over five inches of rain the first ten days of the month would adequately moisten the soil down several inches. I know the ground clumped when I was planting glad bulbs today at a depth of four inches.

I had planted dahlias a couple of weeks of ago and they have sprouted. The string beans in the hanging planters are about an inch long now. All the blue flax is in full bloom and the white flax is starting to bloom. Lucy would be happy with her gardens now.

I’m behind on getting garden pictures taken and uploaded. The upcoming week will be incredibly busy, but I hope to squeeze in some time for photos. The forecast is temperatures in the 80’s almost the entire week, although Friday into Saturday looks stormy and sticky.

Happy Mother’s Day to everyone! One of my blessings is my mother is still alive. Lucy had lost her mother in August. This would have been Lucy’s first Mother’s Day without her mother. Now they are together.

Thank you for your time, and please take time to count your blessings. You have more than you think!

1 Comment

Filed under family, nature, rebuilding, weather