You don't need a big river...

...to have big fun. At least that's what my kids were finding out over the weekend.

 It was beautiful weather for May, with highs in the 70's both Saturday and Sunday. Nina and I spent Saturday at the wedding of an old friend of mine. Vinny had a couple friends over, and while much time was spent playing video games, the lure of Sand Creek and a kayak were too much to resist. They paddled upstream, occasionally having to pull the kayak over small beaver dams, until they found what Vinny described as "the mother of all beaver dams". It was built at the confluence of Sand Creek and a tributary, and was so large and had been there for such a long time that the creek had changed course, flowing around one end of the long dam and creating a waterfall.

On Sunday morning, Vinny and Devin (pictured above), along with Devin's brother Calvin, Joe, and Nina in our 17 foot Old Town canoe, held the first ever Sand Creek Canoe Race. Everyone paddled upstream to the beaver dam, which was the starting line. From there the length of the race was a good quarter mile or more. I went out to the horse pasture to watch them go by, and they were making pretty good time. Devin and Vinny were in the lead when I took this picture, but apparently there was a dispute over where the finish line was, and the three in the canoe claimed victory. A good time was had by all.

I always dreamed of living on a big lake, or a river big enough to canoe. Apparently my dream has come true and I never realized it until now. That kayak is calling my name sometime this weekend.

To garden, or not to garden

I never thought this would actually be a question. In 20 plus years of adulthood and marriage, I have always had some kind of a vegetable garden. Some years it was smaller than others, but I always felt I had to have something. With all the space I have here, to not use a good amount of it for growing food seems like, well, a waste.

This spring, however, I am re-thinking things, at least for this year. We have a number of things that need to be done on the house. Bathroom. Kitchen cabinets and sink. Deck. Flooring. Garage. The garage will be built by professionals, but I expect I will have to put in a considerable amount of time on the other projects. This full time job thing of mine gets in the way, and despite my desire to get everything done AND have a large garden, it does not appear to be realistic. Especially when I had planned on moving the garden to a new location this year, and the ground is not even tilled yet.

Relax, I tell myself. Abide. I will still have the garlic I planted last year, and maybe some plants in containers. But do I really want to go all out planting, only to feel guilty later about not tending weeds? Next year, when my house is a lot more finished than it is this year, I'll get back into it.

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Play ball!

Warning: Shameless Mom bragging ahead! :)

It is now baseball and softball season here, which means I can just as well forget about cooking dinner or being home before eight two or three nights a week. Vinny and Nina love these sports the best, and I am more than willing to sacrifice time at home to see them play.

Yes, that is my #23 gracing the cover of the local newspaper this week. Of course I was just beaming when I saw it. After the starting pitcher gave up a few runs in the first inning of their first game, Vinny came in and did a good job for the rest of the game. And Thursday night he was starting pitcher and went the full game. They lost 6-2, but it was a good game and the opposing coach even complimented our coach about Vinny's performance.

A few notes about this team. We are a small, rural school, and there are only about 13 players out for baseball this year. They were sub section champions last year, but they lost a few good seniors. Of the 13 players, four are freshmen. There is no junior varsity team. Just about everyone on the team can pitch. BUT- Vinny has been to pitching camp, and has had many hours of practice in the back yard (we have worn out one pitch back, just ordered a new one). He takes his time, thinks the situation through, and mixes things up with a few different pitches. Which is why Vinny has quickly established himself as the eminent starting pitcher for the Eagles. Oh yeah, he can hit too. I haven't kept track of his batting average, but it is pretty darn good. He has been asked to play American Legion baseball this summer for a nearby town. More good games to watch.

I think I have a fun four seasons ahead of me. Wait, Joe is in fourth grade, so I have a good eight baseball/softball seasons ahead of me. Good thing I invested in a good folding chair.

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New post up on "Under the Blue Roof"

Announcing the resurrection of my food/domestic blog after a long hiatus (that's a fancy term for laziness)! I was so happy with how my fried rice turned out last night I just had to share the recipe.

Life is good

Joe has a new bike. The older kids are headed home from their amazing trip to Washington DC. Peepers and western chorus frogs are singing, and woodcock are displaying. The road is finally dry enough that I don't fear my new car getting swallowed up by a gigantic mud hole. Said car is averaging over 35 mpg. My new kitchen cabinets, and bath fixtures, will be delivered soon.

No complaints here. :)


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Was this month really March?

For having a blog that includes "phenology" in the description, one would think that I would have been faithfully updating posts these last few weeks, chronicling the unfolding of the warmest March on record. In an ideal world, that is.

Sorry folks. In reality it seems this month has gone by in a blur, busier than ever doing I don't even know what. Getting kids ready for the band trip. Helping Joe with his Science Fair project. Putting the first 3,000 miles on the new car shuttling kids to baseball and volleyball practices and shopping in Duluth. Working. et cetera.

However, those of you who are on Facebook know that it is much easier to write a quick status update than it is to compose a coherent blog post. And if we're Facebook friends, you know that I manage to update my status fairly often. That is, if you haven't hidden me from your feed because you're tired of hearing about my life! :) So, I have reviewed my last month of status updates and put together a phenology of sorts:

March began with about a foot of snow on the ground, the first significant snowfall we'd had all winter. On the evening of the 3rd, we had a visit from a friend who was out snowmobiling, perhaps for the first time this winter. The next day a warm spring wind blew in. I traveled to the southern part of Minnesota for a work meeting on the 5th and saw my first ducks and geese. On the 7th I saw my first kestrel. On the 8th we had a mini blizzard, but that snow quickly disappeared. Early the morning of the 9th, I saw the aurora borealis; I have been waiting to see this for years!

On the 11th, The Hermit and I went shopping at Menard's in Duluth (for those of you outside of Minnesota and Wisconsin, that is like Home Depot or Lowes) and picked out base kitchen cabinets, a tub/shower enclosure, and bathroom vanity- all on sale! Let's just say I love my new Discover card...

First bluebirds on the 13th; on the 18th we put up four bluebird houses in the horse pasture, with the hope that at least one of them will be occupied by bluebirds. I didn't even record when I saw my first robin, but it was well ahead of the usual schedule. First blooming dandelion on the 16th. Lots of tundra swans flying over the 17th and 18th. Woodcock have been displaying morning and evening since the 18th; I even saw a female woodcock approach a male when he landed from his sky dance in the back yard. First spring peepers on the 19th.

Oh yeah, I seem to recall something happening on the 20th. Something to do with the number 45...

So now the ice is out on the pond, which makes Sally one happy Labrador, and the ice is even out on the big lakes. Of course, with my job that means I am out on the lakes too, pulling nets as we attempt to get an idea of the health of various fish populations. I don't think I had ever been out in a boat in March. Northern pike are spawning, and walleye are getting ready.

The lake I am working on just happens to be the lake where my grandma and grandpa lived, where I spent many weekends in and on the water. My grandma, 92, lives in town now, but my uncle still has the lake home. It is fun to be back; that lake will always be special to me.

So there's what happened in the March that felt more like April or May.


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Band trip 2012

My two oldest kids are now somewhere between here and Washington, DC. I last heard that they were eating dinner at the Cracker Barrel in Rockford, Illinois. Vinny ordered the catfish. :) Nina convinced me to swap iPhones and sim cards with her, because her phone is having some serious issues. I hope she is enjoying my phone, because I am cursing hers.

Really, I think this band trip, to our nation's Capitol, is a once in a lifetime opportunity for them. I traveled to DC when I was seventeen, with 4-H club, and it really changed my perspective. Actually, I liked shopping in Georgetown. But that was where I was at. I think my kids will see so much more.

The band director has created a blog: ecbandtrip2012.blogspot.com . i am having trouble copying and pasting this link on my iPad, but if you are interested, please follow it!

I still have Joe here, but the house feels so quiet. I wish the ice hadn't gone out on lakes so early this year, because that means a lot of work for me.

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