On Saturday Gary and I rode a 25-mile bike loop for Tour de SAVE. SAVE is an acronym for Suicide Awareness Voices of Education. The ride was a fundraiser for this organization.
SAVE: Suicide Awareness Voices of Education
After you registered, you could fill out a pennant to wear, naming a person or persons you were riding in memory of. Both Gary and I have personal connections to people who have taken their own lives, but there were a lot of folks riding for the sake of bringing awareness to suicide.
Gary has ridden this event in previous years. This is a jersey from a different year.
SAVE hosts several types of events, including 5K walk/runs, throughout Minnesota and the US. Click here for a link to their website.
Information signs were posted at the registration area.
We had a beautiful morning to ride. The hot and humid weather moved out and cool, dry air moved in. The rural route took us on backroads, past fields and farms. The blue sky boasted white wispy clouds.
Fields of corn and soy beans, and beautiful blue skies and clouds.
Country roads.
After the ride we met friends for lunch, and then walked to Bridge Square in Northfield to listen to some good band music, put on by the Vintage Band Festival, an annual outdoor music event in Northfield.
Minnesota Pipes and Drums, a musical ensemble consisting of bagpipers and drummers, marching up to the bandshell for their allotted time to play for the crowd.
And, of course, we had a dish of ice cream to wrap up a delightful, summer day.
A great place for ice cream in Northfield.
We were grateful for these wonderful organized events; yet we continue to mourn the loss of loved ones lost to suicide.
The last leg of the 25-mile ride was on the Dundas Trail.
A flicker of light~
Twinkling and twirling around...
Fireflies at night.
While in Minnesota, our Ukrainian friends saw fireflies for the first time. They were excited. We were with them one evening, and the fireflies were dancing all around us. We all enjoyed seeing the fireflies, as well as our friend’s excitement.
A hedgehog I saw in the wild in Ukraine, 2008.
I told them the one and only time I saw a hedgehog was in Ukraine, and it was exciting to see it. We walked to a village after class one day, to an interpreter’s home, and we saw a cute, little hedgehog tucked away on the side of the path.
God is creative!
“God made the animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the crates that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:24
On a warm, summer’s evening in Northfield, Bridge Square and the Riverwalk draw a lot of people. It is a nice place to stroll along the Cannon River, to look at the water falling over the dam, to see people fishing off the bridge, or just sitting and visiting or eating ice cream.
The log jam at the dam in Northfield.
The other night we took our ice cream treat down to Bridge Square and looked out on the river. To our surprise there was a log jam.
Another view of the messy log jam.
A couple big tree trunks were stuck in the dam and hundreds of branches and sticks have accumulated at the blockage. We’ve never seen it backed up so much.
There are always many folks fishing along Bridge Square.
It was a sight to see. Hopefully it will be cleaned up soon.
Squirrels are cute little critters, with comical antics and amazing flexibility. They are fun to watch.
Two cute squirrels playing in our birch tree.
But they can also be destructive in gardens, and they can scare away the birds from the feeders. We have many squirrels in our yard, so we started trapping them a few years ago. We use a live-trap and once caught we deliver them to, what we’ve dubbed the “Squirrel Resort”, a land flowing with trees and water. We escorted many squirrels there. It has all the comforts of a happy place for the critters, out in the country.
Releasing a squirrel from the live-trap.
Our neighbors across the street however, feel differently. She feeds the squirrels. In fact, she has trained a young squirrel to jump up on her lap and eat from her hand! She demonstrated the act one morning. I was amused. She offered to send me a picture to use for my blog.
Is this for me?
He is cute.
A young squirrel eating from our neighbor’s knee.
I didn’t tell her we’ll be setting up a trap in our back yard…
Hopefully this young one will stay in my neighbor’s yard where the food is…
I love the smell of lilacs…and the pretty delicate, purple flower blossoms are beautiful. They are a wonderful sign of spring. It’s always nice to bring a bouquet into the house.
This photo of our lilac bush was taken in 2020. It produced a lot of blooms that year.
The lilac bush we have in our backyard is an old-fashioned garden variety. The mother plant was planted in the yard of the house I grew up in, in NE Minneapolis when I was a little girl. In 1980, we moved to Burnsville and I dug up part of that bush from McKinley Street and transplanted it to our yard in Burnsville. Then, in 1994, when we moved to Northfield, I took along part of the lilac bush and planted it in the backyard of our new home.
Gary working on the lilac bush in our back yard.
The bush is old.
Partially pruned.
The past few years it has produced fewer and fewer flowers, and this year not many at all. We learned it is not blooming because it has a lot of old and dead wood, since it hasn’t been pruned. The only pruning it has received the last 29 years is when I cut off branches to bring in a sweet-smelling bouquets into the house.
Apparently, we should have been pruning the bush every year. Whoops.
So we decided to prune it way back this year. When we cut off the top branches, I cut off the smaller branches with blossoms.
A small bouquet of lilacs from the very top branches of our lilac bush.
That was a hard way to get a small bouquet!
We cut out a lot of dead wood and larger, old branches and trimmed back some of the new growth. We pruned a lot off.
It will take a couple of truck loads to get all the wood and branches from the lilac bush to the city compost site.
It was a good job that needed to be done. It looks pretty good…and hopefully the next year or two it will produce a lot more flowers once again.
Many walkers and joggers use the sidewalk along the east side of our corner lot. We planted trees along the walk as a screen for our windows, but I do like to see the variety of folks who use the sidewalk. It leads to a paved trail that takes one around three ponds, and it is a delightful walk.
My fairy garden.
A couple of weeks ago when we were working out in the yard a gentleman, who was walking on the sidewalk, stopped to ask us about our house color (my all-time favorite green house). As we were visiting he said his grandson loves my fairy garden. He said his grandson will make sure everything is in place and clears out any dead leaves etc. when he walks by it. That made me smile, and inspired me to recreate the garden as soon as possible. I had just cleared the area of my fairy garden to clean things up and re-do it. It is along the sidewalk.
I took everything out of the first fairy garden…weeded and patted down the dirt, getting ready for a re-create.
I washed up the glass stones for the pathway and realigned them. I situated the porcelain table and chairs and fairies in place, including my troll from Norway. There were a few new items to add to the scene this year.
A string of lights from the thrift store.
When I opened a package that I bought at a thrift store last fall I was surprised. I thought it was street lamp poles, instead it was a string of lights, and that made me happy. I laughed. They do not light up but that’s ok, I like them. I placed the lights in the garden, and added a new-to-me wishing well (another purchase from a thrift store). I put a turquoise stone in the wishing well, to represent water.
The Norsk troll, and the wishing well, plus my original fairy and bench…a little larger than the other items.
Now I enjoy my fun little fairy garden that will soon be hidden under a rose bush when it fills out. Right now, it is open for all to see. I’m trusting my little friend will enjoy it. My granddaughter did last summer.
A few years ago, a friend’s granddaughter took walks with her mom and passed a fairy garden, with a door. One day the little girl opened the door and to her surprise found a note in it. She was delighted and read the note from the fairy. Occasionally the fairy would leave her notes all summer, and the little girl enjoyed looking for a note every time. I’m wondering how to incorporate that idea into my garden…hard, since I do not have a door…
A door-shaped rock I placed at the bottom of a tree in our backyard. I want to paint a window and door knob on it sometime. But of course, it does not open. 😉
Another fairy garden story: A couple recently moved into a new house in the country and put out a gnome-size door next to a tree in their back forest, visible from their kitchen window. When I saw it, I commented on how much I like fairy/gnome gardens. They said they were going to add a gnome.
A few weeks later the guy came up to me in church and said he thought of me while snowshoeing one afternoon. It had gotten dark early and he was snowshoeing on their new acerage and kind-of got turned around. Eventually he saw a light through the trees and thought it was his wife with a flashlight, out looking for him. It was not. It was a solar light on the gnome door that was leaning against the tree close to their house. It guided him home!
As the snow melts, daffodils and hyacinth sprouts will begin to emerge, and fairy gardens will be uncovered.
The beginnings of my fairy garden in our backyard, in 2021.
I am enchanted with fairy gardens. They are whimsical and I love finding them in surprising places: under a flower or next to a tree trunks, maybe under rocks in a rock garden. I also like creating one in my own backyard flower garden.
A fairy garden on St. Olaf Avenue (summer 2019) is large, and has a theme “reading”. You can find many animals scattered throughout the garden, reading books.
Some fairy gardens are elaborate, like one on St. Olaf Avenue in Northfield. The garden is filled all kinds of miniature critters with some fairies, most are reading books. It is clever.
An inviting entrance to a fairy house, at the bottom of a tree trunk. Photo taken: 2019.
A frog enjoying a cup of tea while reading a book. Photo taken: 2019.
My fairy garden is simpler; a table with chairs, with one fairy drinking from a tea cup and another fairy with a watering can…and oh yes, I added a Norwegian troll last summer.
My fairy garden in summer 2022.
I’m planning an expansion to my garden this year with a few trinkets I’ve picked up in thrift stores…a lamppost and wishing well to name a few.
One of three fancy sheds on display at the Home + Garden show in Minneapolis.
A couple of weeks ago we went to the Minneapolis Home + Garden Show in the convention center downtown Minneapolis. The show always has colorful flower gardens to show off and lots of different vendors promoting their wares. Every few years we think it’s interesting to go see “what’s new in home-style”.
I like the porthole window in this one…
This year my favorite display was…what I call… life-size fairy homes…uniquely designed sheds that look like fanciful fairy houses. I wanted to bring one home to play in, but they were asking an exorbitant price!
This shed has a large side window, for a lemonade stand or such fun.
What fun it would be to have an adult-size fairy house in a backyard…especially if it were tucked in between some trees. It could be a great place to set up a small library scene: book shelf full of books, a lamp, and a comfortable chair… or a place for sitting in quiet contemplation…or a fancy garden shed with all manner of plants and dirt, tools and planting supplies…or maybe even a game room?
A side view…
When writing about these sheds, a memory surfaced of playing in a shed in our backyard when I was a little girl. My dad and brother made an adult-size play shed out of scrap wood – nothing fancy like these fairy sheds – but it had a door and a window and that was enough. The neighborhood kids and I played for hours in that shed.
My brother had two photos of the shed. This is when he and my dad were building the shed.
The finished shed. Looks like deep snow that winter…up to our waists.
I’m thinking that subdued memory was what sparked such a joyful response in me when I saw the creative fairy sheds at the Home + Garden Show.
Thursday morning the snow started to taper off mid-morning, and stopped before noon. The official snowfall total for Northfield was 15.1 inches over this three-day storm. That’s a lot of snow, but not a record. Now, this morning, it’s cold out there…below zero temperatures!
KARE 11 weather table.
This is our back deck…the table was clear of snow prior to the storm.
Thankfully we have a snow blower. With Gary behind the snow blower and me using shovels to clear out the front porch and short walkway, we make a good team, but he does the brunt of the work shoveling out.
Gary and the snowblower.
We are also responsible to clear the public sidewalk along the east side of our house…Gary uses the snowblower for that.
The sidewalk has been cleared…
And then the snowplow comes through…
It wasn’t too cold when we went out to clear snow. It went quickly. Then we wait until the snowplow comes along to plow the street and pushes a huge mound of snow back into our driveway. Gary goes out once again to plow it out…and the sidewalk entrance too. And so it goes.
The bird feeder on our window.
The birdfeeders suctioned to our windows were full of snow. I saw a chickadee pecking through the snow to find seeds. I “spooned” out the snow and added fresh seed in the feeders.
Ah, much easier.
The bird feeder and bird bath is another gauge of how much snow accumulated in our yard.
The first day of the snowstorm we were on country roads driving home. It had been snowing for awhile and the wind was blowing across the fields making it low visibility and white-out conditions over the fields. At that time, it was just beginning to snow…I can only imagine what it is like out on open roads with much snow and wind.
Looking out the window to our backyard.
It looks so innocent and serene looking out our windows.
The front of our house…lots and lots of snow. It will be a while before we see green grass!
At home, I use lists and set timers to help me at remember to do things around the house…like check the dryer, make a phone call, etc. Otherwise, I tend to forget…
Pellet
In my car, I use a different method. Years ago, I was given a cute, hamster beanie baby -officially named Pellet by its maker, the TY Corp – and it has always lived in our cars. I have come to rely on this sweet, little stuffed animal to help me remember things. When I’m driving and think of something I need to remember upon arrival at my destination, I pull Pellet up from the driver’s side door pocket and put him in my lap, or by my purse, or on the passenger seat. Then, when I stop the car to get out, I see him and think, “O, yes…” and he reminds me of what I needed to remember!
Content to ride in the driver’s side door.
He has worked well. Pellet has been in our car for many years…I want to say over 20 years…maybe longer. We transfer him when we get a different vehicle. He is my friend! Maybe not as beloved as The Velveteen Rabbit, but he does look a bit worn from being a treasured and a reliable asset to me. I’d miss him if he ran away…
Have I mentioned how much I like the Northfield library? I know I have, but it seems I always walk away with such good feelings about our wonderful Carnegie library in downtown Northfield. I am thankful we have this great space and resource in our town.
The big beautiful atrium near the entrance to Northfield’s library.
A couple weeks ago I had a scheduled session to learn about the Libby app, an app used to borrow ebooks from the library. I had to go in again, for more help with additional questions. I got the help I needed, with the feeling “my personal librarian” had all the time in the world for me and my questions…This librarian has helped me before with technical questions, so I try to meet with him when I can. I had to go in a third time and learned I was using the app correctly, but the kindle had to be reset. I think I’ve got it now, but if not I will not hesitate to go in and get help.
When I arrived at the library, the librarian saw me through the beautiful glass windows and waved to me. It felt so welcoming. And always…the person behind the desk greets patrons as soon as they step through the doors.
After my initial help session, I went to the children’s section and once again, received the help I needed in finding a book from one of the children’s librarians I know. I met her when I took my grandchildren to the library story hours when they lived in Northfield.
The day I had my initial app training session I learned that the library now loans out Canon DSLR cameras, a sewing machine, a telescope and more. They are experimenting with these new items to borrow. I like the idea.
For a few minutes my librarian friend and I talked a bit about taking photos. We found out we both like to take pictures. I mentioned I use my iPhone to take my photos. He has a fancier camera. He suggested I try one of the Canon DSLR cameras the library loans out. I laughed out loud and said… I want to learn one thing at a time, and right now that is simply how to use the Libby app.
