N is For Nest


Tree Swallow Nest
The tree swallow young are two weeks old, and they are looking like miniature swallows. This picture was taken on the last day I'll be able to open the nest box without the risk of them flying out prematurely.

I've been taking pictures for the past week with no success in getting anything that shows the little birds very well. I can hear them chirping as I approach the nest box, but as soon as I open it they dive down and cover their heads.

At the end of my ring finger is a little swallow peeking out to give me the evil eye. They want me to go away so their parents can bring more food.

Tree swallows like to feather their nest with white feathers. I read about a study showing the more white feathers, the more likely a successful nest. These swallows did a great job with the feathers and it looks like all six hatchlings are healthy and likely to fledge.

The tree swallow parents weren't happy with me being in the nest box. They were both flying in circles dive bombing my head while telling me off with their chatter.

Around the nest box were numerous fritillaries flying around. They like the sweet purple clover, one of the many abundant wildflowers in the back three acres.

Sky and Smiles
Saturday Sky
There's a popular meme in knitting blog land called Saturday Sky that requests a sky picture each Saturday. I haven't officially joined, but I did find myself outside with a camera this morning taking many sky pictures, of which this is one.

After some much needed rain on Monday, it was a beautiful week in SW Michigan. Not too hot in the daytime and comfortable, cool sleeping weather at night.

Today the sky was blue with a few fluffy clouds. Perfect summer weather.


Last month Mom and I went to Idaho to visit great-granddaughter/granddaughter Sydney.

It was the first meeting for great-granddaughter and great-grandmother. The results were just as happy as this picture indicates.

Thanks to son John for taking this beautiful picture.

Friday Flowers
After the morning dog walk, I put the dogs back in the house and headed back out to the field for some wildflowers.

(The red day lily isn't a wildflower, but I wasn't trying to be pure.)

I've been thinking of doing this for years and haven't. Why? It was very pleasant except for the deer flies and now I have a pretty little arrangement to look at for a few days.

Lately I've been thinking about something that came up briefly during the trip to Idaho: I have difficulty knowing what I want and/or asking for it.

This is a family trait and can probably be blamed on our easy going, peace loving Swiss nature. Much of the time it makes us agreeable and easy to live with. Other times we are very frustrating to those who love us and would like to know our preference instead of hearing, "I don't care. Whatever you want is fine."

What I've been wondering is this: When I say "I don't care", audibly or by default, is it actually true that I don't care? Or, somewhere deep inside do I really care? Am I thinking that the people who love me should be mind readers? Am I trying to avoid responsibility for a bad outcome if what I ask for doesn't work out?

If I start asking for what I want, assuming I can determine what that is, will my family resent it?

Have I read too many psychology books?

Maybe I'm having an old age crisis because I didn't take time for a mid-life crisis.

Send me flowers. I love them. Not roses. I've never cared for roses.

There. That wasn't so difficult.

100 Things About Me
Revised and updated July 6, 2006.

1. I was born in Chicago but moved to Michigan in the second grade and have lived in Michigan ever since.
   
2. Bob and I married in 1975 in a magistrate's office wearing matching flannel shirts that I made for the occasion.
   
3. We live on five acres in the country in SW Michigan in a small brick house on a dirt road in a wooded swamp.
   
4. My favorite flowers are the violets. There's a big violet patch in the West wooded yard.
   
5. We have hundreds of Hostas. Lily of the Valley grows like a weed here.
   
6. I am a terrible housekeeper, but I entertain dreams of getting better some day.
   
7. The queen of the house is Glory, an ten year old lab mix.
   
8. The princess of the house is Sunny, a five year old Papillon mix.
   
9. The prince of the house is Pappy, an eight year old Papillon rescue dog.
   
10. I spend two nights a week at doggy school doing agility, tricks, and some obedience with the little dogs. They both love it and so do I.
    
11. In 2003 I lost forty pounds in Weight Watchers. So far I have managed to keep it off.
    
12. I worked as an Information Technology analyst for twenty-four years. In April 2003 Pharmacia, my former employer, was acquired by Pfizer. In January, 2004 I was severed along with hundreds of other ex-Pharmacia employees in SW Michigan.
    
13. I am now retired and hoping I can afford to stay that way.
    
14. People who knew me well told me I'd be bored without a job. I haven't been bored yet and don't think it's going to happen.
    
15. In the 1980s, I was a COBOL programmer. Cobol will always be my favorite programming language, although I know better than to use it now.
    
16. In the 1970s, I went to college part time while my children were growing up.
    
17. I have a BS in Biomedical Science with a minor in Chemistry from Western Michigan University.
    
18. I never had a job using my major or minor.
    
19. My first job out of college was as a computer programmer. I wasn't sure what a computer was. They hired me because I tested super high on a programming aptitude test.
    
20. I've always been good at taking tests.
    
21. I was always a nerd, but in high school and most of my twentys I tried to not to show it.
    
22. I was able to play stupid in high school chemistry because the teacher was boring, but I was never able to resist excelling in math.
    
23. My high school math teacher was excellent. She taught me how to think through problems.
    
24. I played bass clarinet in the high school band. I was very good technically but not musically talented.
    
25. After high school I attended Wright Beauty Academy in Battle Creek and earned a cosmetology license.
    
26. While I was in beauty school I smoked a little rinestone studded pipe. I still love the smell of most pipe tobaccos.
    
27. In the 1960s, I worked as a hairdresser, doing beehives and other very solid hair structures.
    
28. My fame as a hairdresser came from my ability to create backcombed and hairsprayed dos that would not move for a whole week.
    
29. When I was ten, I had a pet painted turtle named Prince Albert Red Rattler. He lived in a large washbin and ate worms. Slurped them up like spagetti. His record was 100 worms in one day.
    
30. When it was time to let Prince Albert go hibernate, he was so fat he couldn't close his shell.
    
31. My maternal grandparents came to this country from Switzerland when my mother was a baby.
    
32. my paternal grandfather was a French Canadian named Gilbert LaFayette Monette. My paternal grandmother was Daughters of the American Revolution material.
    
33. My father had a heart attack and died when he was forty-five years old.
    
34. My mother is still living - and I mean living! You would never guess how old she is and I'm not telling.
    
35. I was present when my first granddaughter was born in 1995. When she was ten minutes old, she grabbed my finger and we've been loving each other ever since.
    
36. My daughter is smart, beautiful, and has a sparkling personality. She works as a property manager. I'm so thankful that she lives in the area so we can see each other often.
    
37. My son is a genius. He used to do calculus homework during the rests in orchestra practice. He ended up in a hotel/resort industry career because he's also a great people person.
    
38. My second granddaughter was born in 2005. She lives 2000 miles away, so I signed up for the frequent flyer program.
    
39. Starting when I was in my late teens, I dyed my brown hair red. When I was fifty-five I let it grow out natural. It's about seventy percent gray now.
    
40. I'm very nearsighted. I've been wearing glasses since I was ten.
    
41. I resent spending time on the daily routine things: taking a shower, brushing my teeth, blow drying my hair, doing the dishes.
    
42. I don't wear makeup anymore.
    
43. I've always purchased practical cars. Right now I drive a tan 2000 Camry. The tan matches the dust and mud from our dirt road.
    
44. I love knitting socks.
    
45. For me, the fun thing about knitting is to try different stitch patterns.
    
46. I very seldom follow a knitting pattern without at least one change. Often I just wing it.
    
47. One of my favorite things to do is knit while listening to recorded books.
    
48. I used to be an excellent seamstress but I haven't had a sewing machine in the last twenty years. Occasionally I get the urge to sew but it passes quickly.
    
49. I've always loved watching the birds and the wildlife.
    
50. I love embroidery, brocade, and lace - seeing it, not doing it.
    
51. I am the oldest of four children.
    
52. My three siblings are all very unique and gifted. I'm the boring member of the family.
    
53. If you are a brass player, you probably know about my brother, Dave Monette, maker of Monette trumpets.
    
54. My three siblings all think SW Michigan is a good place to be "from".
    
55. I'm the only sibling who has stayed in SW Michigan and I'm not sorry. I like it here.
    
56. We hardly ever watch TV or go to movies.
    
57. The last twelve years I've made a point of studying the Bible. I think it's the key to the meaning of life.
    
58. I don't think any of the churches have the complete picture of what the Bible is saying.
    
59. I believe we are here on earth to learn and grow. The lessons we're here to learn are the ones that are hard for us to grasp - the mistakes we make over and over and over.
    
60. I like to be around friendly, positive people. But sometimes I like to bitch and be critical.
    
61. My favorite kind of humor makes fun of life.
    
62. I'm an introvert.
    
63. I hate speaking in public but I can do it when I need to.
    
64. When I took Dale Carnegie training I won several awards for my short talks.
    Most of the people in my Dale Carnegie class felt the class was life changing. I didn't feel that it changed me at all. I'm still wondering if I missed something important - but I don't think so.
    
65. I hate shopping.
    
66. I buy most of my clothes from Land's End. My favorite shoes are New Balance.
    
67. My sense of direction is very poor.
    
68. I haven't had a dress or a skirt on since son John's wedding in 1999.
    
69. For ten years in the 1990s I made stone jewelry and sold it at craft shows. It started out fun but got to be a chore, so I quit.
    
70. I have promised myself I will never again take something I like to do and try to make it profitable. It takes all the pleasure out of it when you have to do it to deadlines.
    
71. I am less and less of a perfectionist as I get older and learn how little it really matters.
    
72. My favorite color has changed through the years, but I've always had red in my wardrobe.
    
73. My favorite color right now is purple. I don't and won't wear it with red.
    
74. I think Tennessee Ernie Ford sings hymns like God Himself might sound. I got through a stressful project at work once by listening to Tennessee Ernie sing hymns.
    
75. I am always apprehensive about driving through the car wash.
    
76. I could - and sometimes do - waste time playing Spider Solitare.
    
77. I'm the second of four generations with the middle name Louise. We all have different first names.
    
78. Every year around Mother's Day, the four Louises have a Louise Lunch to celebrate our love for each other.
    
79. There's a Tulip Tree in the front yard and one in the back yard. The breeze in the leaves makes them look like they're waving at me, which makes me smile.
    
80. We have a phoebe nest on the back porch and every year the phoebes come to raise a family.
    
81. If I had a second daughter, I was going to name her Phoebe. I love the sound of the name.
    
82. On the back three acres I have a bluebird trail of four nest boxes. They get used by bluebirds and tree swallows.
    
83. Every programmer I know is either a calendar person or a map person. I'm a calendar person.
    
84. I hate to hear people sniffle.
    
85. My favorite thing to do on Saturday mornings is to snuggle back in bed with the two little dogs.
    
86. Before I turned thirty I was very thin. Sometimes I was even way too thin to look good.
    
87. I wanted both my children very much. When I was pregnant, I would laugh with delight when I had morning sickness.
    
88. My favorite deserts are custard, flan, and cheesecake.
    
89. My favorite fast food is Taco Bell and Wendy's Spicy Chicken Sandwich.
    
90. I enjoy quiet.
    
91. I like to enjoy my friends one or two at a time, not in groups.
    
92. I don't enjoy talking on the phone. In our house the answering machine answers all the calls and we pick up if it's someone we want/need to talk with.
    
93. I'm not good at keeping in touch with old friends but I think about them sometimes.
    
94. I'm a chocolate snob. I only like European chocolate without all the extra wax and preservatives.
    
95. I love butterscotch and caramel.
    
96. I get impatient with people who say they want to do something but won't try to do it.
    
97. I've worked as a geriatric nurses aide and as an aide in a home for the profoundly retarded during a time in my life when I was thinking of going into medicine.
    
98. I've never worked retail and I've never been a waitress. Hope I never have to do either of those jobs.
    
99. I have an IBM ThinkPad and I work with it while sitting on the loveseat with a writing board on my lap.
    
100. My little dogs like to snuggle up to me while I'm working on my laptop - but only if I tire them out first.
     

How Sweet It Is
I had a doctor appointment today and we spent some time talking about what I should weigh. Dr. V's conclusion: I'm in the upper range of acceptable and shouldn't be concerned about my weight as long as I'm not gaining.

Doctor V is a small woman in her thirties. I have confidence that she isn't going to encourage extra pounds. Therefore I've removed the weight loss rabbit from the Stitches of Violet sidebar.

According to a news item in the Washington Post:

Obesity is strongly linked with depression and other mood disorders.

Whether obesity might cause these problems or is the result of them is not certain, and the research does not provide an answer, but there are theories to support both arguments.

My theory - it's not the obesity that is making people depressed, it's the unhealthy types of food they are eating that creates the depression.

In my study of one (me), I have proven over and over again that when I eat sugar I want more sugar. And, when I eat a bit more than a little sugar I get the blahs. Sometimes I get depressed.

When I stop eating sugar, my mood improves.

It takes about three days to de-sugar my system. I start feeling better after a day. Once the three days are past the sugar craving is gone, fruit tastes sweet, and most pastries and candy taste too sweet to be pleasant.

There is a wide range of human biochemistry. What works for me may not work for you. But, if you've never tried fasting from sugar, I highly recommend giving it a try.

Happy Things
I love this picture of son John and granddaughter Sydney from my recent trip to Idaho. It's my new desktop.

Of all the impressive things my son has done in his life, I am most proud of him for being a loving, involved Daddy to his daughter.

Granddaughter Sydney loves to sit in the front window and wave when people come and go and watch for the dog across the street and yell "do, do!" repeatedly when she sees it.

She also likes to have her picture taken.


This is the second brood of bluebirds in this nest box this summer. The first nesting fledged five and it appears the second nesting is going to do the same.

It was overcast yesterday so I was able to get this picture without interfering shadows. The hatchlings are about ten days old.


About a decade ago I planted a patch of Tiger Lilies. They didn't do well and I finally ripped them out and replaced them with daylilies.

Part of a Tiger Lily bulb remained in the ground and I didn't have the heart to weed it out.

Every year it sprouts up and puts on a glorious display of tiger color. Every year I think about moving it somewhere else, but I don't.

It seems to be happy where it is and it makes me smile.


The dogs are sleeping today after a fitful night of fireworks and thunderstorms.

Hopefully everyone will use up their noisy 4th of July stash tonight and the dogs can resume their normal nighttime sleeping pattern by Wednesday.

Wishing all Americans a pleasant holiday today.

Sadness
After a wonderful trip to Idaho, I came back to very sad doings at home.

My first husband, the father of my children, died Sunday.

For anyone interested, son John wrote a beautiful blog entry here.

Note: Part of this post was originally posted on Seasons of Violet, December 8, 2003. Additions, including pictures, have been made.

I'm on vacation but I'd still love to read your comments.

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Ant Protector Turns Violent
When I was a child, I was a total insect pacifist. Insects were wonderful, had their place in nature, and should not be killed.

At about ten years of age, I founded the "Ant Protectors Club" whose futile mission was to prevent people from stepping on ants. Even through the club had two catchy mottos, I failed in recruiting more members and it was a lonely enterprise.

Ant Protector Club mottos:

How would you like it if somebody stepped on your house?

Don't, don't, don't kill ants 'cause you might need them some day!

I'm still fascinated with the insect world and try not to interfere with nature. However, we live a wooded swamp and some species specific insect warfare has replaced my total insect pacifism.

We believe that our house sits over the world's largest and heartiest ant hill. The ants come into the house from every direction and can be found in every room. We are hesitant to use nuclear force and nothing else seems to work. To keep the population in check we use borax based poison that the ants take back to their nest. It cuts back on the numbers but never completely eliminates the colony as advertised.

These are little ants and they bite. It's amazing how hard a tiny little ant can bite. I do not hesitate to murder the little ant who bites me.

DH Bob is freaked out by spiders. I'm not overly fond of them either. Outdoors we leave them in peace. Once they cross the threshold we assume they've declared war and we whap to kill.

In the fall when it starts to get chilly, the spiders line up outside our door to get into the warmth of the house. I think Bob is whapping before they cross the threshold, but I don't want to know about it.

Other insects are gently removed from the house and put back outdoors. We assume that is where they would rather be and we don't require them to pay for their mistake with their life. The exception is the blood sucking insects. They don't even have to come in the house to get killed.

Mosquitoes are a no-brainer. They get whapped whenever and wherever we can whap them.

In April and May we have blackflies. They hatch in the cold, fast flowing water of the creek that runs through our acreage. Then they bite. They inject a chemical so you can't feel them and they suck on your blood. I'm allergic to their bites and I swell and itch for several weeks after being bitten. Even cortisone doesn't help.

In June and July we have wood ticks. Ticks are slow about finding a place to bite. They like to crawl around on you for a while and select the best spot. It's usually possible to remove them before they initiate their blood feast.

Before ticks start sucking they are flat, hard, and difficult to kill. A good whap doesn't even phase them. After a tick starts sucking blood and bloating up, you don't want to whap them. They explode and splat blood all over and it's very gross. If the tick was not detached before exploding, it is more difficult to detach after exploding.

After fifteen tick seasons, I'm very good at removing embedded ticks. My preferred method is to use the Ticked Off tick remover, but I am capable of doing it with my bare hands if necessary. I read somewhere that ticks hate water, so, bloated or unbloated, I delight in flushing them down the toilet.


In July and August, we have 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?

Home
Note: This post was originally posted on Seasons of Violet, May 24, 2004. Minor changes and/or updates have been made.

I'm on vacation but I'd still love to read your comments.

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When I was a child I fell in love with nature. My two favorite books were the Golden Book of Birds and Golden Book of Insects.

We lived in a small town. There was very little diversity in the urban ecology. I dreamed of seeing the real birds and bugs instead of just pictures.

I remember one childhood evening when a rarely seen hummingbird visited the flowers while we were playing. I wanted the other kids to be still so I could watch, but I was the only one interested and the hummer quickly went elsewhere.

Many of my childhood dreams of seeing nature have come true since DH Bob and I moved to a home in rural SW Michigan thirteen (now fifteen) years ago.

Now the hummingbirds buzz us at the window if we don't keep their feeder filled.

We have so many hummingbirds in the summer it is hard to remember when they were new and novel. They are part of our life now. We share our home with them.


Our home is five acres on a narrow dirt road in a swampy woods. The road has a canopy of trees overhead. The leaves are so thick in the summer that a light rain never gets the road wet.

There are various types of wild violets growing on our land. I encourage them to multiply and I call our property Violet Acres.

There is usually something new and interesting going on at Violet Acres. This spring we have a pair of yellow crested flycatchers. I think they are nesting in the woods across the road. They come over into our front yard to catch insects for their young family. I see flashes of yellow going across the window and occasionally they perch where we can see their beauty.


In our neighborhood, no one cares if the lawn is mowed. In fact, no one cares if we even have a lawn. This picture was taken out the front window.

The front of our home is planted very informally in ferns, hostas, lily-of-the-valley, Solomon's seal, and other wild flowers that grow in the shade.

There are cement stepping stones that go around in a large circle. I like to go out, walk around on them, and see everything green and growing.


Violet Acres is narrow and long. The front two acres is mostly wooded except for the spring fed pond and the small brick house where we live.

The pond is for the wildlife. It houses small fish, water snakes, snapping turtles, and muskrats. Kingfishers and herons come to find dinner. Deer come to drink.

This time of year the frogs are so loud at night that sometimes it's hard to get to sleep. I lay there and listen to them calling for a mate and wonder over my good fortune to have a home in such a beautiful and noisy place.


The front two acres and the back three acres are divided by a fast running stream.

Glory the lab mix, Queen of Violet Acres, loves to wade in the stream. This mystifies the two little dogs. They prefer to stay dry at all times and always stare at Glory in amazement as she splashes around and climbs out soaking wet.

The back three acres has some woods, but is mostly open field that we let grow natural, complete with a few large brush piles to shelter the wildlife. This is where the nest box birds raise their babies and Pappy the Papillon, Prince of Violet Acres, meets up with his blue racer snake friends.

On the property next to ours there is an oak forest, so this field is what naturalists call an "edge" area. It's perfect for seeing a variety of birds and wildlife.

Today we learned that our neighbor has seen a mink. I'll be watching for it. Something new to love about my home at Violet Acres.

M is for Mom's Birthday


This is my Mom. This year we're celebrating her birthday in Idaho where she is meeting her Great-granddaughter Sydeny for the fist time.

Happy Birthday Mom! It's a pleasure to be traveling with you on this special day.

We share the same name, Marguerite Louise. Check out Mom's blog post on how her mother named her. While you're there, wish her a Happy Birthday in her comments.

Though we're very different in our interests, our politics, and our religion, we're also very alike in many ways.

We enjoy each other's company and acknowledge that an intelligent person may think differently than we do. That's because we are both intelligent and both think very differently.


The differences make life interesting. I learned that from my mother.

Something else I learned from watching my mother live her life:

• There will be bad times. Really bad times.
  
• Sometimes they get worse before they get better.
  
• When the bad times happen, you do what you need to do for as long as you need to do it.
  
• Knowing there will be bad times makes the good times all the sweeter.
  
• Good times or bad times, life is rarely dull.

A few other important things I learned from my mother:

• Keep growing.
  
• Keep learning new things.
  
• Stay interested in the world.
  
• Dance!
  (Actually, she's the only one of us who dances. But the general concept of "keep moving" is something I learned from mom.)

Thank you, Mom! I love you lots!

Today is packing day and the day to do all those little things that need to be done before leaving home for eight days.

Tomorrow is getting up at 4 am, leaving the house at 5:15 am to pick up my Mom and catch a 7:15 am plane for Idaho from the Kalamazoo airport.

This trip will be the first time Mom has met her Great-Granddaughter Sydney.

If I find time to sit at son John's computer for a few minutes, there will be posts while I'm gone. I have four posts ready to publish including one showing off Mom's birthday socks. Her birthday is Sunday the 18th and we're celebrating with bunch at the Coeur d'Alene Resort.


How time flies. I was looking at my 100 Things About Me and found this entry:

My son and daughter-in-law's first child is due in April, 2005. She will be my second grandchild and I wish we lived closer.

The exact reason I'm headed for Idaho! Sydney is 14 months old now and this is my sixth trip to visit. Trips to Idaho have become an enjoyable habit.

I didn't link the 100 Things because I'm updating them. I'll publish them as a post when they're finished.

L is for Lady Slipper


Note: This post was originally posted on May 21, 2005 titled Blogging the Bogging.

I couldn't resist repeating it for the L entry in the ABC Along. Hope you don't mind.

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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.

Followup on Goat and Dumbbell
The Goat
The neighbor goat I referred to as Mr. Goat here, is really Miss Goat.

Maybe now that I've insulted her, she'll stay in her own yard.


Doggy Dumbbell
I wrote a post here, complete with pictures of woeful looking dogs, about how my two little dogs were flunking dumbbell training at doggy school. Both of them hate the dumbbell in their mouth.

Pappy resisted dumbbell with all his will. When forced, he would get so upset he didn't enjoy the rest of the class. He is otherwise well behaved and eager to please.

Pappy is a rescue dog with major scars. He's at least eight years old. We've had him for almost four years. He didn't have a nice life before he came to live with us and I couldn't justify making him do something he hates just to say he could do it.

Or, as my husband succinctly put it, "We didn't rescue him so we could torture him."

Now when Pappy's class does dumbbell, Pappy happily jumps the hurdle without a dumbbell.

Sunny was making a little better progress than Pappy, but she dropped back to the Intermediate class when she was diagnosed with spondylosis. The class she's in now doesn't do dumbbell.

Sunny has not dropped the dumbbell at my feet asking why we don't do it anymore.

K is For Kalamazoo Do-Dah Parade



The first weekend in June (today), Kalamazoo kicks off the downtown summer season with a large outdoor art fair, a Greek festival, and the Do-Dah Parade. The Do-Dah Parade is billed as "a parade of silliness down the main streets of the city", and that it is.

One of the crowd favorites this year was the Briarwood All American Canine Capers starring my Pappy and many of his doggy school friends dressed in patriotic finery and looking pretty silly.

Ramon the standard poodle singing the Star Spangled Banner in the staging area.


Doggy teacher Gail and her Australian cattle dog Favor waiting for our turn to take off down the streets of Kalamazoo.


Pappy is at least eight years old and I was concerned about his ability to walk over a mile on the warm pavement. Plan B was to pick him up and carry him if he started looking weary.

He had a great time and walked the whole way. When it was over, we hustled into the car, turned on the air conditioning and drove to Wendy's where he got his parade reward kiddy hamburger.


Out on the parade route Denise led us in some interesting marching maneuvers. The crowd was too busy looking at the dogs to notice what we were doing.


Pappy has been sleeping ever since we got home. I had a little nap, too.

Miss Manners, Where Are You?
Our neighbor's goat wishes he lived at our house. I don't know why. In this picture he is eating our weeds through the fence.

Our big dog Glory hates it when Mr. Goat comes near our property.

Mr. Goat doesn't care what Glory thinks. He will even stand on his hind legs and drape his upper body over the fence to see if he can make Glory bark.

We're trying to teach Glory good manners. She is not allowed to bark at the goat - and she doesn't when we're close enough to scold her. But when she thinks we're not listening, Glory tells Mr. Goat just what she thinks of him.

This is the same goat who caused the big fight last month. He has a big yard. We really wish he would stay in the other side of it.

Now that I've repeatedly called him Mr. Goat, I have to admit I could have been fooled by the goatee. She could be Miss Goat.

Yes, I do know how to tell the difference. I just haven't looked in the right place yet.


Granddaughter Sydney is learning to enjoy adult food.

She is also learning how to feed herself. She's got the hang of it as long as she doesn't have to use a utensil.

Only two more weeks and I'm headed back to Idaho to give her a big hug and kiss.

Taking a Short Break
I'm taking a week off blogging to do some other things including a trip to St. Paul Minnesota for nephew Mike's wedding to Trudy.

For my US readers, have a great Memorial Day weekend. I wish you all nice weather, safe travel, and congenial companions.

J is for Jade



Over a decade ago during a very intense period in my systems analyst career, I was project leader for a new order entry and customer service system for a major pharmaceutical company that has now been absorbed by Pfizer.

The project needed programmers which at the time were not easy to find. We were a little skeptical when our management decided to bring in several contractors from India to help.

The skepticism didn't last long. We were able to interview and select the best. The Indians were hard working and talented. Once I got the feel for their accent, there was no verbal communication problem. Their written communication was perfect King's English. Their technical skills were awesome.

Padmaja was my favorite. We worked together for several years and I know beyond a doubt she was the reason for the excellence of the project. When there was something impossible complicated to do, it went to Padmaja. She took a day or two to understand it, and then it was created. Perfectly.

Padmaja brought me this jade box when she went back to India to visit.

It's about eight inches by five inches. It's stone. It's heavy.

She brought back heavy gifts for many of her US friends. I believe I received the most beautiful.

I can't imagine how she packed them and traveled with them. Just another example of Padmaja doing the difficult and making it look easy.


Granddaughter Kimmy has been fascinated by this jade box since she was a toddler. Every time she comes to visit she fingers it, opens it, shuts it, admires it. It will be hers someday when the time is right.

Meanwhile I will treasure it and enjoy the memories it brings.

Monday Miscellany
This post may read like I'm whining. I'm not. Having lived 61 years, I know when life is good and right now life is good. Still, even in the best of times there are those little things that happen . . .

Weather News
It's been raining or getting ready to rain or just finishing raining for the past six days. Also, it's chilly. My joints are wishing for some dry weather and sun.

The grass has grown so long it's getting the bottom of my jeans wet when I walk though it and all garden plants have had a large growth spurt - the weeds growing three times quicker than the intended species. The Lily of the Valley is in the weed column. It's currently blooming and smells lovely, but it's growing in way too many places I don't want it.

Nest Box Invasion
We had a beautiful tree swallow nest in one of the nest boxes. There were five pretty white eggs snuggled down in a bed of white chicken feathers. An English sparrow (also called House Sparrow) got into the nest box, pecked holes in all the eggs, and threw the feathers out onto the ground. I hope the sparrows decide to establish a nest of their own in that nestbox because I'll be watching and waiting to get revenge.

It's easy to tell the English sparrow nests because they incorporate garbage in with the dried grass. How appropriate.

If my threats against the "cute little sparrows" upsets you, please read this.

English Sparrows commonly kill adult Bluebirds and other native cavity nesters and their young and smash their eggs. The House Sparrow is partially responsible for the near extinction of Bluebirds in the US. Since they are not native to this country, they are one of the few birds not protected by law.

Status of Barbara Shawl
I only have four more very long rows to knit on the Barbara Shawl and then I can start the border lace. And maybe I can finish the border lace before running out of yarn. The amount of yarn left on the cone is starting to look worrysome.

This is the fourth shawl I've ever knit and possibly the third one to require more yarn than I started with. Even though I'm aware of my tendency to underestimate shawl yardage required, it appears I may have done so again. It's going to be close. Very close.

I think I'll use that as an excuse to ignore housework this afternoon and sit and knit.

Tenth Annual Louise Lunch
Subtitle - Pictures of Mothers and Daughters I love.

Each year on a Saturday in the middle of May, four generations of Louises meet for lunch to celebrate our middle name (Louise), Mother's Day, and Heather's (the third Louise) birthday.

Yesterday was our day, a very special day. It was Heather's actual birthday and we hit the Mother's Day weekend.

Marguerite Louise - the first Louise

Mom's birth certificate doesn't have a middle name. When she was a young woman she was fond of the opera Louise so she took Louise as a middle name.

Here she is opening one of her Mother's Day gifts, a blog word cloud teeshirt.

She blogs at Odysseuse on the Move.

Happy Mother's Day Mom!


Heather Louise - the third Louise

The first time I heard the name Heather was in church. The pastor mentioned his niece, Heather. Heather's dad-to-be liked the name, and I agreed it was perfect for our soon to be adopted baby daughter.

Once we had the first name, we started thinking of middle names. Heather Louise topped the list.

This is Heather Louise with her Opal Chameleon birthday socks. She likes them.

Happy Birthday and Happy Mother's Day Heather!


Kimberly Louise - the fourth Louise

Even with three generations of Louises, I didn't think of it as a tradition. I was very surprised and honored when Heather chose Louise as the middle name for her daughter - my first granddaughter.

When Kimmy was a baby, we started the Louise lunch tradition for our family Mother's Day celebration.

Ten year old Kimmy is not a mother and wasn't having a birthday, but in honor of our tenth Louise lunch she received a pair of Siamese cat earrings that resemble her pet.



Happy Mother's Day Anne!

My Mother's Day picture post wouldn't be complete without a picture of my wonderful daughter-in-law Anne and granddaughter Sydney Anne.

Here they are with my brother Dave at his trumpet shop in Portland, Oregon.

Sunny's Stairs, Pappy's Bravery
Background for why Sunny has stairs and why the mattress was on the floor is here and here.

When we first got the doggy stairs, I put them next to the loveseat where I sit with my laptop and the little dogs snuggle in next to me. I was right there to make sure Sunny used the steps. There wasn't an alternate way for her to get up and down because the steps were in the way. She quickly learned to use them but it took a few weeks for her to like using them.

Last week we put the mattress on the bed and moved the stairs into the bedroom. It took just a little bit of training for Sunny to understand we wanted her to use the stairs to get up and down from the bed.

I'm very pleased with the Ultralite Pet Stairs from Discount Ramps. They only weigh ten pounds so they're easy to move around, yet they're sturdy enough to stay in place. I ordered a second set for next to the loveseat.


Our neighbor has a goat. Glory, our big old dog, does not like the goat. We've been teaching her not to bark at the goat and she knows she's not supposed to bark at the goat, but when she thinks she can get away with it she sneaks in a bark or two (or three or four).

Yesterday I went out for a dog walk with Glory free and the two little dogs on their Flexi leashes. Glory barked at the goat. The goat came running to the fence that divides our property and Glory ran over to bark in the goat's face.

Lady, a large dog that lives with the goat, took exception and ran over to the fence growling to protect the goat. Glory and Lady had a dog fight through the fence. It is farm fence with squares about 4 inches by 4 inches, so they couldn't really do harm to each other, but it looked and sounded violent and I ran over to pull Glory away.

Twelve pound Pappy, who is little enough to get through the farm fence, did. He attacked Lady just like he was a big dog and got his head bitten. Fortunately, Lady's owner arrived on the scene just then - probably because I was screaming - and pulled Lady back.

It was an ugly, scary incident. Pappy is a gentle, calm dog, but he thought he needed to defend Glory. Now he has a hole in his head. You can see it over his left eye.

Botanical Invaders
Have you ever planted something in your garden and regretted it later as it turned into a pest?

One gardening friend claims she had to move in order to get away from the lemon balm she innocently planted one spring. Many of the mints like lemon balm are invasive, but at least they're easy to weed out.

I comfort myself with the knowledge that the most troublesome plants at Violet Acres were not purchased and planted by me. They were here when we moved in, looking tidy and pretty.

My number one pain in the garden butt is Lily of the Valley.

When we first moved in, I was delighted to see a large patch of Lily of the Valley. I'd unsuccessfully tried growing it several times in my previous urban yard with no success.

Unsuspecting the relentless and robust underground runners, I naively transplanted it to empty patches of other gardens. One of my worst gardening mistakes.

When Lily of the Valley is happy, and Lily of the Valley is very happy on my property, it travels underground and pops up where ever it feels like popping up. It sprouts leaves in the middle of whatever other plant happens to be where Lily wants to be, which happens to be everywhere and anywhere.

I can't use Roundup on it without killing plants I don't want to kill. When I dig it up by the roots, each little piece of root that breaks off considers itself the start of a new underground runner.

On bad days, I've considered letting the whole five acres be covered with Lily of the Valley. It would be very pretty and fragrant in the spring.


Cinnamon ferns are another plant I was thrilled to have growing so happily here when we moved in. And I still like them, even though they require stern control to keep them in bounds.

This garden was ignored for too long, and the ferns took over the hostas, hellebores, and an azalea bush.

I'm in the process of digging out the ferns that are in another plant's territory, but it's not a one day project. Once I get them under control, I will be much more vigilant about removing ferns that stray out of bounds.


What grows berserk in your yard?

I is for Idaho





Idaho Facts:

• State Capital - Boise.
  
• State Motto - "It is forever"
  
• State Flower - Syringa
  
• State Bird - Mountain Bluebird
  
• State Tree - White Pine
  
• State Gem - Star Garnet
  
• State Nicknames - Spud State; Gem State; Panhandle State

A Few Famous People from Idaho:

• Ernest Hemingway, author
  
• Lana Turner, actress
  
• Gutzon Borglum, Mt. Rushmore sculptor
  
• Mariel Hemingway, actress
  
• Myrna Stahman, scarf and shawl designer

Looking at Northern Idaho from the air, it's all mountains and evergreens. No deciduous forests like we have here in SW Michigan.



See where it says "Post Falls" just south of the Canadian border?

Next month I'll be spending a week there visiting my Idaho girl.


Here's a memory from my last visit to Idaho.

Come on, Grandma! Get down on the floor and let's play!

Life's Simple Pleasures

I've been tagged by A Cracked Pot.

Name ten of life's simple pleasures that you like most, then pick ten people to do the same. Try to be original and creative and not to use things that someone else has already used.

Having no idea what other people have used and not being very creative, I submit the following list.

I further revolt by not tagging anyone else to do this. It's a pleasant, easy post for a day when blogging seems like a lot of work. If you want to do it, it's all yours!

Life has many simple pleasures. These are the first ten that popped into my head today.

1. Violets in the spring.
   
2. Snuggling with my dogs while drinking my first cup of coffee in the morning.
   
3. Playing "peek" with granddaughter Sydney and hearing her laugh.
   
4. Lunch with a good friend.
   
5. Singing my favorite hymn, And Can It Be, in church with the organ.
   
6. Fresh Michigan strawberries in June with Bisquick shortcake.
   
7. A freshly mowed lawn.
   
8. Waking up without an alarm clock.
   
9. Listening to a good book on CD while I knit.
   
10. Being alive.

What's one of your simple pleasures?