Sweet Potato Treats

A few weeks ago Carrie suggested I try some of the sweet potato dog treats available at Sit Stay.

I ordered a small pack of sweet potato rawhides for Glory and a small pack of the much smaller sweet potato fries for Sunny and Pappy.

To Bob's skeptical amazement, Glory thinks the rawhides are yummy. They're big enough so I can cut them in half and she still feels like she's getting a good sized treat. They're tough enough so a half rawhide takes her a while to chew and she enjoys the process.


The two little dogs differed, as usual, in their opinion.

Sunny enjoyed her sweet potato fry.

Hey Mom, if I stick one ear up and look cute will you give me another one of those yummy things?


Pappy rejected the sweet potato fry after one sniff.

Mom, surely that didn't count as a treat! Can I have something else please?


As Meatloaf would say, "Two out of three ain't bad."

The Heat Goes On

Looking at the color coded USA Today weather map, Michigan (where I live) is coded the same color as Texas - bright red, temps in the 90s.

It's a little warmer than we Michiganders expect in June, so the weather is a big topic of discussion. Especially the thunderstorms that don't cool things off at all. In fact the last two haven't resulted in enough rain to get the sidewalk wet. There was just enough moisture to make the air hazy and enough lightening to make the power flicker on and off a few times.

Early this morning I completed the small amount of housework that's going to get done today, and I've spent the rest of the day in leisure, sitting in front of the fan and taking short walks with the dogs.

Sunny thinks creek water is much tastier than tap water. Plus, it's a big dog kind of thing to do.

Each of the dogs has their own favorite place to cool off. Glory is under a table in the living room, Pappy is in front of a blowing fan, and Sunny thinks it's best under the bed. I'm with Pappy.


Why would a woman of reasonable intelligence wear a long sleeved turtleneck shirt outside for a dog walk when it's over 90 degrees?

Deer flies.

Or, as the Department of Entomology at Michigan State University calls them, "little sabres of pain."

They dive onto their victim and immediately CHOMP! Ouch!

The result is a red welt resembling a mosquito bite. The welts don't itch and they don't last long, it's just that initial, painful CHOMP that makes deer flies one of the worse bloodsucking insect pests we have here.

I view them as one of God's annual reminders that we live in a fallen world.

Actual blood was lost and pain suffered to bring you this picture of a deer fly biting my knee. Am I a dedicated blogger, or what?

Dog Days of June
Since we live in a dense, shaded area, we usually don't mind not being air conditioned - except for a few days of the year, and this is one of them. It's 97 F (36 C) and the humidity is high. If we had to get up and actually do something, we'd be very hot.

I took the dogs outdoors one at a time and let them do whatever they wanted.

Glory, our oldest and biggest dog, had no problem deciding to head for the creek and wade around a while.

The two little dogs don't understand why a dog would voluntarily go into the water, but I think Glory was the smart one this afternoon.

Pappy's favorite pastime is hunting rodents. Since he's not much bigger than a rabbit, he's only had success with the smaller species.

He has caught and killed numerous mice, voles, and moles. We don't encourage him, but mousing is in his genes and there doesn't seem to be any stopping it. We'll be walking along and all of a sudden he will pounce into the weeds and come out with a prize.

This afternoon he was after a mole. He can smell them underground and knows right where to dig. If he doesn't get them on first pounce they're safe and gone, but he thinks he needs to dig a little just to make sure.

Sorry you can't see his cute little Papillon face. It's down the mole hole.

At our house, "turtle" is a verb.

Sunny has a squeaky, rubber turtle, her favorite toy since she was a tiny puppy. (Actually we're on the fifth or sixth one, and there is a spare tucked away for when this one falls apart.) She likes to play fetch and tug with it, and she's not gentle.

When she wants to play, she gets her turtle and whaps it down at someone's feet. We say that person has been "turtled". If you ignore her turtling, she repeats it.

Sunny is very persistent and hard to ignore when she wants to play turtle. Usually the person who didn't get turtled laughs at the person who did get turtled because there is no escape.

Sunny turtled me several times this afternoon and I tried to tell her it was too hot. Evidently it wasn't too hot, because we went outside with the turtle and she fetched, tugged, and had a great time.

Last One Out is a Rotten Egg
The hatching has begun!

The first hatched looks like he's ready to rule the nest. Mom and Dad Eastern Bluebird are working hard to feed him and watch over the rest of the eggs which will be/are hatching soon.

There are five eggs, so we're hoping for another successful family of five to equal the first clutch that fledged in May.

Happy Birthday Mom!
Tomorrow, June 18, is Mom's birthday.

I've hacked her blog to post birthday greetings and let the world know it's her special day.

Click on over and leave her a comment. She'd love to hear from you.

Two

Your Expression Number is 2

A mediator and peacemaker, you get along well with others. You light up in group situations, but struggle when you're alone. Modest and understated, you accomplish more than you give yourself credit for. Cooperative, courteous, and considerate are words people use to describe you. You know how to handle anyone, no matter how much of a pain they might be. Tactful and friendly, nearly everyone who knows you admires you. Sometimes you are overly sensitive and easily hurt. When you get too sensitive, you can become shy and uncertain. At your worst, you can be apathetic and withdrawn.

What's Your Expression Number?

This little online calculator comes up with your expression number (whatever that's supposed to mean) from the name on your birth certificate.

My favorite number has always been 2, so I was enchanted to know that's the number calculated from my original name.

The personal characteristics that go with my expression number could be me, but mostly they remind me of a generic horoscope blurb.

I am pleased to be told that I "accomplish more than you give yourself credit for." I've been reading a lot lately and I like the idea that something is getting done that I don't know about.

Life Goes On
Wow. Thanks for all the great comments and email on my last post.

I think it's important that everyone take some time once in a while to think about what they're doing, what they're not doing, and ask themselves if changes need to be made. I do have some changes that I need to make, but the changes are minor. The current tone of my newly retired life is going to continue as is for now.

My faith in the Lord provides the assurance that if He has something He wants me to do, He'll make it perfectly clear. Right now, He seems to be mostly pleased to have me doing what I'm doing. I'm very grateful for the opportunity to leave the workforce earlier than planned and start the transition into life after work.

Thank you Lord and thank you Pfizer.

Idaho, Here We Come
One of the things I've been doing this week instead of knitting has been to book a trip to Idaho for Granddaughter Kimmy and me the first week of August.

Kimmy is going to be flying for the first time and I managed to get her a window seat on all four flights. She also will be visiting Idaho for the first time, seeing mountains for the first time, and, most important, meeting her new cousin Sydney Anne for the first time.

I've already met Sydney Anne, but I won't mind seeing her again.

For this trip I'm getting a rental car. Those who know me, know that I have no sense of direction and can get lost in my own back yard, so this will be a bit of a challenge. I will have maps, written out routes, and I will (can you sense the determination) learn my way around the Spokane, Post Falls, Coeur d'Alene area.

Grandmas are more fun when they're mobile. That's my motivation to master this challenge.

What Do You Want To DO With Your Life?
This week I've been thinking about my future and my inability to get motivated about planning it.

Here I am, 60 years old, in reasonable health, looking to the future without much enthusiasm for anything.

In the past week I've had lunch with three different women about my age, plus or minus ten years. They all stopped working within the last year or a little longer. We all seem to be going through the same mental shutdown.

We're all intelligent, former professional women who have only recently learned the beauty of not being motivated, not excelling in anything, having time to do nothing, and wearing jeans/sweats and comfortable shoes.

None of us want to commit to any new obligations right now. It's enough that we plan lunch out with a friend who will understand if we need to change the date. That's just about as committed as we want to be.

So what's the point of this post? I'm not sure. I thought if I wrote it down maybe some great insight would transpire. It didn't.

I think I'll go knit.

Sunny, Pappy, and Paws on the Pier


These are my two little dogs, Sunny on the left and Pappy on the right.

They are both about 14 pounds, have black eye patches, are very intelligent, and very very loved. Other than that, they're as different as can be.

• Sunny is a female. Pappy is a male.
  
• Sunny is mostly black. Pappy is mostly white.
  
• Sunny has curly hair. Pappy has straight hair.
  
• Sunny always looks ungroomed. Pappy always looks neat and tidy.
  
• Sunny is a second generation (at least) mixed breed. Pappy is a Papillon.
  
• Sunny has stocky legs and feet. Pappy has delicate legs and feet.
  
• Sunny has a tiny head and small teeth. Pappy has a much larger head and teeth.
  
• Sunny is persistent and stubborn. Pappy is eager to please.
  
• Sunny is playful. Pappy is serious.
  
• Sunny joined the family as a tiny puppy. Pappy joined the family as a rescued adult.
  
• Sunny has never known harm. Pappy has had terrible things happen to him.
  
• Sunny goes to "Advanced Hobby" class on Monday. Pappy goes to "Advanced Hobby" class on Thursday.
  
• Sunny loves obedience work. Pappy is ho-hum about obedience work.
  
• Sunny is ho-hum about agility. Pappy loves agility.
  
• Sunny does not like strange places and crowds of people. Pappy loves them.

The Advanced Hobby classes are joining together to put on an obedience, agility demonstration at Paws on the Pier, a Humane Society dog walk in South Haven. Pappy is my demo dog - see last bullet on list - so he will be going to Sunny's class as well as his own for the next two weeks to practice.

That means Sunny will be going to the Intermediate class on Tuesday night, which means I'm going to be in doggy school three nights a week.

For anyone who is not a dog person and has read this far, let me assure you that Sunny is going to know Pappy went to her class. I really do have to take her on Tuesday or she will go into a major doggy depression.

Dog people don't need this explained.

Saturday Snippets for June 11
Congratulations to Kimberly Louise!!
Granddaughter Kimmy just completed fourth grade. It's become an annual tradition for this grandma to celebrate the end of a successful school year with a day at Full Blast for Kimmy and the friend of her choice.

Yesterday was Full Blast day, so I gathered up a non-demanding book, sunscreen, towels, and drove to Battle Creek.

My role for the day was easy: chauffeur, sit under a large beach umbrella, read a book, and hand out money as needed. The kids had fun and I had fun watching them have fun.

We ended the day with dinner at the restaurant of Kimmy's choice, Burger King.

Nest Box Update
There are five bluebird eggs now. Approximate hatch date is in two weeks, June 25.

The young swallows are doing well. When I open the nest box, they all hunker down and play dead. All the pictures I've taken look like a nest containing a dark blob. That's why you're not seeing a swallow picture today.

The Weather
It is hot (90s) and humid (blah) here and has been for the past week. There's another thunderstorm blowing in across Lake Michigan from Chicago. I'm going to unplug my laptop, grab one of my freshly fetched library books, and sit in front of the fan and read.

Aggressive Ferns
In order to have truth in blogging, I need to show some of the spots in the yard that are far from perfect.

When I took the camera out today, I had no problem finding a garden mess for my readers to tut-tut over.

This was formerly an orderly garden full of hostas and other shade loving plants before the cinnamon ferns took over. Evidently fern growing conditions are excellent here.

At first I thought it was pretty how the ferns filled in all the gaps and looked so cool and green. Then, at some point in time that I can't pinpoint, the ferns took over.

That Rose of Sharon bush behind the ferns looks half dead. Did the ferns kill it?

I think the hostas are still alive in there, hoping to be rescued soon. I also think it's going to be a lot of work to dig the ferns out and restore order to this plot. So, I've been ignoring it and working on the front side of the house.


The egg laying has begun!

On our first dog walk of the morning, Daddy bluebird was sitting on top of the nest box and Mom Bluebird was inside starting the second family.

Unlike the dive bombing swallows, the male took off and left the female to fend for herself. She peeked out the hole at us, then ducked down out of sight. We quickly walked off and didn't go back that way until much later in the day

Living In A Swamp
Frogs in the Pond
This Northern Leopard Frog sitting at the edge of the pond and was nice enough not to jump away until he had his picture taken.

We've been having very noisy evenings thanks to these fellows.

We have a spring fed pond in the East yard. A wonderful draw for all types of wildlife including at least one very large snapping turtle. You couldn't pay me to go wading in that pond.


Water Cress in the Creek
There's a creek that runs through the property separating the front two acres with the house from the back three acre field where we walk the dogs and have the nest boxes.

Other than the mowed walking paths, we leave the back three acres natural for the birds and wildlife. We also leave the creek natural.

The creek water is so clear it never shows in a picture. You can see the sandy creek bed and the beautiful water cress that blooms this time of year.


Second Bluebird Nest
A few weeks ago the bluebirds fledged five young from this nest box. Last weekend I removed the used and very crusted (we won't talk about what it was crusted with) nest box.

After removing the cruddy nest, I used the hose, a scraper, and a stiff toothbrush to clean out the box. Then I re-mounted it and waited.

Yesterday I could see the male and female entering the house with dry grass. Today the new, clean nest is ready for their second family of the season.

Tree Swallows Hatched
Yesterday six tree swallow eggs hatched in one of the east nest boxes. They're tiny, naked, and well sheltered in their feather nest.

Fortunately it was a beautiful, warm day in West Michigan, so there was no problem opening the nest box and getting a picture. Well, actually there were a few little problems.

It was a challenge to hold the feathers out of the way to see the hatchlings without destroying the cosy structure loving made by mom and dad tree swallow. And mom and dad tree swallow were very irate about the home invasion. They circled and dive bombed until I left.


Jack-in-the Pulpit
Yesterday I was walking out in the west side yard. It's heavily shaded with pine and oak trees and pretty much left to grow natural, except for groups of hostas I've planted for color.

It was a surprise to find this lovely Jack-in-the-Pulpit growing big and healthy under a pine tree. We've lived here fourteen years and this is the first time I've seen one on our property or anywhere nearby.

They make berries/seeds in the fall, so I suspect this plant arrived via bird poop.

It looks happy here. I hope it spreads and multiples.

Thanks little bird, wherever you are.

Book Meme
Last week I got tagged by Odysseuse for the Book Meme. Today I finally provide the answers you've all been waiting for.

By the way, if you haven't checked out Odysseuse on the Move, it's a most interesting blog written by my mother. Be sure to read the reader comments. They're just as much fun as the posts.

l. Total number of books in your house.

I'm sure there are well over a thousand and I don't plan on counting them.

2. Last book bought.

Heartbreaker by Julie Garwood. A thriller, romance type book bought in the Minneapolis airport after realizing I was going to run out of reading material with over two hours of flying time left to fill.

It was good enough to pass the time, but not so engrossing it had to be finished immediately. Perfect for the occasion. It got me to Idaho and served as bedtime reading after I arrived.

3. Last book read.

A Country Year, Living the Questions by Sue Hubbell. When I got tagged with this meme and started thinking about my favorite books, I headed for the bookshelf to find this one for a re-read.

4. Five or six books you often reread or that mean a lot to you.

Bible - The last ten years I've made a point of studying the Bible. I think it's the key to understanding life. I don't think any church or denomination has the complete picture of what the Bible is saying.

Knitting in Plain English by Maggie Righetti. She writes just like she's looking over your shoulder and teaching you how to knit. There's plenty of wisdom thrown in to go along with the technical.

For example:

Admire your work often.

In other words, frequently look at what you've knit so when you need to rip back, you're not ripping back very much. Great advice for yours truly. I try to heed it.

Newcomb's Wildflower Guide by Lawence Newcomb. A keyed reference book to the plants.

I carry this book on all my hikes and field trips. Luanne and I have spend hours using it to identify our finds.

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. C.S. Lewis's writing gives proof that it's possible to be intelligent and be a Christian.

There are some days, especially after some of the newsworthy statements that come out of the mouths of the so called Christian leadership, when I really need reassurance about that.

Html for the World Wide Web by Elizabeth Castro. Great to read cover to cover if you want to know it all. Also a fine reference book if you only want to know what you need to know to do what you want to do.

This book is always by my side while I'm on my laptop. It's extra special to me because it was a birthday gift from a good friend.

A Country Year, Living the Questions by Sue Hubbell. Essays on living with nature.

This woman is my heroine. Whenever I read this book, I get transported back to my real values about our relationship with nature, the ones I feel in my heart are right.

Other books by Sue Hubbell are also excellent.

Granddaughter Sydney Anne's Daddy (my son John, also know as Tah) has volunteered to be tagged with this meme. Thanks John. I'm looking forward to reading your answers. Meanwhile, I think I'll go check out the cute Sydney pictures on your blog Tah Tales.

Saturday Snippets
This former pansy bed is now hosting a mix of coleus and dusty miller. I hope there's enough sun to make them happy here. If not, I'll know better next time.

Young Toad was not very happy yesterday when I disturbed his bed while pulling out the pansies. But, when I was done, the soil was nice and loose, and just the way he likes it. He jumped back in and buried himself in the dirt.

Young Toad was very unhappy again today when I started digging holes in his bed and almost put a trowel through him. He jumped up on the cement and I feel very fortunate that I don't understand toad language. I'm sure what he had to say wasn't nice.

By the time his half of the bed was planted, he was ready to jump back in, but I made him pose for this picture first.

The tree swallows are very protective of their nest. When I walk anywhere near, they circle round and round dive bombing my head.

The first few years I monitored swallow nests, this bothered me so much I would quickly leave. Now I know they never intend to actually make contact. I'm able to ignore them and do whatever needs to be done in the space they consider part of their territory.

The six little eggs are still in the nest. Mom and Dad are both alive and vigilant. Approximate hatch day is next Wednesday.

Here's my beautiful Granddaughter, Sydney Anne.

Dad was trying to get her to smile for the camera. She almost did it.

Even if it's not a big smile, it's incredibly cute. I love this picture.

Poppies and Pansies
Nature is so beautiful that humankind can't resist the urge to improve it, rearrange it, and/or make art out of it. In horticulture, the result is a garden. Bring on the bulldozers, the backhoes, the topsoil, the compost, the greenhouses, and thousands of hours of work, and see what can be done.

The results are fleeting as plants bloom and fade in a short time span. The effect is ever changing, but, when done right, a total treat for the eyes.

Yesterday Luanne and I took a bus tour (3.5 hours one way) to a place that does it right, the Chicago Botanic Garden. Here are gardens like you'll never see at my house. What a pleasure to admire the work of the 200 employees and 1000 volunteers.

My favorite display was the hillside of annual poppies. I've drooled over a similar display in a garden catalog. How cool to see it done in real life.

Each of these poppy plants was started in a greenhouse and then manually transplanted to the hill in early spring. They're at the end of their blooming season now. In fact, our guide told us that spring floral displays normally would be replaced by summer displays by the last week in May, but the weather has been cool this year so they're been able to leave the spring displays an extra week or so.

When these poppies are removed, they will be composted. The end. All the poppy work goes in the compost pile and a summer blooming hillside is planted from greenhouse seedlings.

Same thing with the planters. These are spring planters and will be completely replaced with summer planters.

Last fall I bought pansies and planted a little patch in the back yard. They were some hybrid variety with huge flowers, and I was very impressed with them when I planted them. They wintered over and bloomed this spring, but the blooms are so large the stems don't support them well. My pansies are flopping every which way, some face down in the dirt, and don't look anywhere near as pretty as the smaller upright pansies in the Chicago Botanic Garden planter in the picture.

Live and learn.

I'll be taking a trip to the greenhouse today to pick up several flats of annuals for summer. I need something to replace the pansies, and a flat of impatiens for a spot of color in the shade.

Memorial Day weekend (this coming weekend) is the traditional time for planting summer annuals in Michigan. It's our annual declaration that we do not expect another frost until next October. Are you listening, Mother Nature?

Ear Infection Education
I have the first ear infection I've ever had in my sixty year life. I don't ever want another one.

Oh, the things I've learned.

According to the Physician's Assistant who checked out my ear last Saturday, I have a high tolerance for pain. Not sure I agree with that. Just because I don't cry and scream doesn't mean I don't feel it.

The infected ear is getting better. It no longer hurts, but I still can't hear out of it. I've learned that it's very difficult to pinpoint sounds when only one ear is functional.

This was the first time I've been to the doctor for an infection in almost a decade. Occasionally my throat hurts, I ignore it, it turns into a cold and goes away. I've learned that ears don't act the same as a throat. If my ear ever starts to hurt again, I'm getting to the doctor as fast as possible.

I've learned that Odysseuse has tagged me with a book meme. I usually don't do chain type memes, but she's my mother. How can I say no?

When I answer the meme, I'll need to tag another blog. Is there a volunteer? You can check out the questions here.

Blogging the Bogging
A beautiful sunny day in May, the perfect time to go admire the orchids in the bog. Luanne and I met at the Westnedge Street entrance.

Bishop's Bog is the largest (145 acres) relic bog in southern Michigan. Since it's in the City of Portage, the Portage Parks Department has provided a 1.75 mile walkway through the bog. I'm glad I don't pay taxes in Portage, but kindly thank those who do.

The walkway is great. It's made of hollow plastic and is somehow suspended on top of the water. When we walked on it, water shoot up through the holes in the plastic in spurts sometimes as high as our heads. We tried to reduce the squirt effect by not walking together. I'm sure it helped a little.

There was slippery mud on part of the walkway. We went slow and careful so as not to end up on our butts - or even worse, on our butts in the water.

Eventually the water with depth turns into very spongy soil, mostly covered with moss. I don't think it was walkable. We didn't try.

About a half mile into the bog is the Pink Lady Slipper Orchid patch, what we came to see. And we weren't disappointed. We spotted dozens of the beauties, and some were close enough to the walkway so we could see every detail.

We also spotted a few Pitcher Plants, but they were not in bloom. The Pitcher Plants have leaves shaped like a pitcher and they hold water. Insects crawl into the pitcher leaves, get caught by the tiny hairs inside, fall into the water and the plant digests them.

Many of the orchids were still in bud stage, not fully bloomed. I thought the pre-bloom was just as pretty as the full bloom.

There is more information, a beautiful orchid picture, and detailed instructions on how to find Bishop's Bog here.

Bird Update
Glory and I went to the fish hatchery today to check on the swans and were delighted to see the swan families out swimming and hunting for food with their newly hatched cygnets.

Actually, I was the only one delighted. Glory didn't seem to care at all. She was busy wishing I'd let her off leash to go swim in the pond.

I didn't.


Last Thursday I took this picture of the five baby bluebirds in the nest box. They were twelve days old, just on the cusp of being too mature for it to be safe to have the box opened. I haven't opened it since.

After thirteen days the young birds are busy exercising their newly feathered wings. They think they are able to fly away, and might do so if I opened the box.

Their parents know they're not ready yet. When they are eighteen days old, their parents will show them how to get out of the nest box and into the big, dangerous world. That's due to happen tomorrow.


On the other side of the field there is a tree swallow nest with six eggs due to hatch approximately May 31.

The tree swallows are very into white feathers. Last year a nesting pair feathered the nest box to the top. This year's couple is more conservative with their feather usage.

The feathers work well to keep in the heat and hid the eggs from predators.


There are six eggs in the nest, one still hidden by the feathers.

Linking To Some Good StuffThursday morning I sent the Backyard Leaves scarf to contest winner Birdsong in California. She received it on Saturday.

Then, bless her heart, she put it on and took a picture to post on her blog. Check it out. She's an interesting lady with an intersting blog. And the scarf looks great on her.

Colette is a knitter, spinner, and Master Gardener on Washington's Kitsap Penninsula. All things that interest me, but she hooked me on her blog, Sereknitty, with some great pictures of an egg hatching.

It's worth a click and a few minutes of your time to check out her Hey Chickie! post from May 7.

For any who would like to see sixteen new pictures of one month old Granddaughter Sydney taken while I was in Idaho, they're here.