Timing is everything....

 It was an amazing week.  My husband and I celebrated 30 fabulous years of marriage.  I also had a birthday.  We celebrated our anniversary by going for a walk on the Michelson Trail in Deadwood.  Absolutely beautiful.  Then we went out to eat.  We were in a bit of a hurry because...

We also got 10 inches of snow that afternoon.  We weren't the only ones not exactly happy.  These two little guys took out their frustrations on each other.

On the positive side, my husband gave me these handmade snowshoes from the Northern Toboggan Company for my birthday. His timing was great, and I was ecstatic that I got to use them.  They were perfect.  The pointed fronts cut right through the snow.  I felt like I was gliding.

With the snow came a very creative buck.  He has been using his antlers to knock the crabapples and apples off of the trees.  As you can see the lower branches are stripped clean.  He keeps rearing up higher and higher.  

I guess that is all I really have.  It was a great week.  As always, I do all of my doctor, dentist, and eye appointments the week of my birthday.  Thankfully, I have a clean bill of health, and all of my appointments made for next year.  One less thing to fret over.

What winter sports do you enjoy?  Yes, Christmas shopping counts.  I have to say snowshoeing is my favorite activity and sledding a close second.  

The Diamond J Bar...

My husband and I went back to my parents for the weekend.  We had a wonderful time visiting.  We also worked on a project with my Dad.  He wanted to repaint the family brand on the hill above their home.  

 That sounds like a simple project until you see how steep the hill the brand is on.  Also, the cattle had kicked a few rocks down the hill, so we needed to add replacements.  We took them to the top on ATV's and walked them down the hill.  Much easier than trying to find the old rocks and drag them up. Then the painting began.  It was super windy, yet we did not let that deter us from our goal.  

Below is a view of the river from the hill.  I spent a lot of time playing around this area when I was a kid.  Building forts, catching turtles, and fishing.

This is the view looking up as my Dad and husband replace missing rocks.  

Here are the painted rocks up close.  I was pretty excited to do this project, as it was a project that I did a couple of times growing up.

Here is the finished project and it looks great.  Wish I had done a before picture.  The brand is the Diamond J Bar.   My parents get quite a few comments from people who see it from the river or from planes flying over.  My Dad said it has been on that hillside since the late 1940's.  It makes me wonder how many people have painted it over the years.  

It was a great trip home.  The weather was great, the food was fabulous, we got in lots of visiting, and best of all a project.  When was the last time you went to your childhood home?  Do you still have family there?

Trespassers will be composted...

 My big project for the weekend was to spend some compost in my vegetable beds.  I did get a little sidetracked watching the cranes go over.

I put one wheelbarrow full of compost in each of my 4x4 foot beds.   The compost is filled with alfalfa, lawn clippings, leftover kitchen scraps, and leaves.  

I then started filling my pile with leaves.  There are plenty.  Last year they blew away before I could corral them.

I took out the steppingstones and mixed the compost in.  I also pulled out some weeds.  

Here is the finished product.  Rich and waiting to be covered in a blanket of snow.  From the weather forecast it may be awhile before there is any snow.  Not that I am complaining.

 My greenhouse is still hanging on.  I repotted my rosemary, sage, basil, and parsley and brought them in the cabin.  I'm letting the tomatoes, peppers, okra, and Minnesota Midget cantaloupe figure out when they are ready to go.  Production has slowed, but they are still hanging in there.  Have you put your gardens to bed? 

Colors

 Mother Nature won the art contest this week. Her use of colors was breathtaking. 

Were you lucky enough to see the Northern lights this week?

Autumn is amoung us...

While we were gone, our game cameras caught 3 different mountain lions roaming our property.  We figured something was up and sure enough, there is a deer kill behind the cabin.  They ate what they wanted and now the scavengers are getting their share.  We have magpies everywhere.  

Sorry the picture quality isn't the best.  I was taking photos from the game camera video.  I'm sure these are the yearling mountain lions from the cubs we caught on camera in November.

Despite their presence, we do not want for deer, turkeys, or grouse.  These bucks practiced some sparring in the yard this morning.  I was able to sit on the porch and enjoy the show while sipping my coffee.  Funny it doesn't bother them if I am in a bright red robe, drinking coffee, and taking photos, but put some camouflage on and sit quietly in the woods and you would think you had a blow horn. 

I harvested my carrots, peppers, and tomatoes.  These carrots were giving each other a hug.  I had probably the biggest carrots I've ever grown this year. I really missed Ella sitting in front of the greenhouse waiting for her payment of a carrot or tomato every time I went in and out.  

This my last rose of the year.  She is beautiful.  Things are very dry here.  I don't remember the last time we had a rain.  

It is autumn, as today the sandhill cranes went over in droves.  There is nothing that brings more joy to my heart than to hear them calling and watching them ride the wind currents in big loopy circles and then before you know it, they are out of sight.  I am so glad we got to see them this spring.  I waved and wished them well on their journey.  

What is your tell-tale sign that it is autumn?  Is it a sound? sight? or smell?

The joys of life...

My husband and I had a wonderful adventure this last week.  We went bear hunting in Northome, Minnesota about an hour north of Bemidji.  

The "hunting shack" was beautiful.  It was a little log cabin built by the brother of my husband's friend.  He is one hell-of-a carpenter, because it was perfect.  The bed was soft and warm.  The cabin was cozy.  I didn't even mind the outhouse.  You just had to watch where the giant wolf spider was before you got down to business.  We did not get a bear, but it was still a wonderful adventure. Our host was more than accommodating and the week was filled with stories and laughter.

We came home to turkeys galore in our yard.  The last 4 days they have just been strutting and gobbling their fool heads off.  We have seen at least 3 different mountain lions on our game cameras, but they sure aren't putting a dent in the turkey population. 

This is supposed to be the peak of the colors in Spearfish Canyon, so we went leaf peeping today.  We were super excited to see many mountain goats.  They were more than obliging for photos opportunities.  The problem is there were too many tourists in the way.

I don't know how they do it.  It was 92 degrees today and they were in full fur.  They looked like fuzz balls.  Poor things were also covered in burrs.  Despite that, they seemed pretty content.

Back to the bear hunt.  My husband did see this little teddy bear during the day.  The big bears came out after dark.  Not only did he see this fella, but he also heard wolves.  I'm a little jealous.  I saw lots of skunks, was swarmed by racoons, and saw wolf tracks.  You may ask was I scared walking back in the dark.  I was, but not of bears or wolves.  I was scared I would wander into a skunk.  

I was impressed with the number of eagles, geese, and sandhill cranes.  It was supposed to be grouse country, but the only grouse we saw was when we got home. 

This beauty posed perfectly for a photo.  He was scoping out our crabapple tree when we got home.

This is the skunk filled cornfield I sat in. There is nothing like sitting quietly for 4 hours to fill your soul with peace.  

 The Northern Minnesota landscape was really breathtaking.  There was more farming than I had anticipated.  Corn, alfalfa, and soybeans.  We even hunted by a potato patch.  I managed to find a few leftover potatoes but forgot them when we left.

We had a great start to our adventure, as we stayed in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota on the drive out.  We just picked a hotel, and it happened to be on a lake.  They were wonderful.  There was a walking path around the lake that highlighted the natural watershed planted.  The hotel also had a s'mores bar from 8:00-9:00.  What a treat. 

There were many monarch butterflies around.  I had never seen that many.  Also quite a few small brown chirpy birds that I could never identify.

Traveling sure makes a person wonder.  A cabin on a lake in Northern Minnesota would be very fulfilling.  Yet, our little cabin in the woods isn't too shabby either.  The thing is joy is where you find it.  I'm inclined to believe anywhere is as peaceful and relaxing as you make it.  

What are your thoughts?  Is there somewhere you dream of retreating too?  Are you content with your own little piece of the world?  Where do you find your joy?