Backyard Views

It's the Red One!

2012-01-03T22:41:00.000-06:00

I did. I bought it. And I absolutely love it. It fits my camera and my 70-300mm lens, with room for another plus all the other junk I keep in my regular purse.

So now I have another decision: new camera or new lens? And I have to decide by Saturday because that's when the $100 rebate on the camera ends. Or maybe there's a rebate on the lens....

Decisions, Decisions

2012-01-02T13:39:00.001-06:00

If I could make one New Year's resolution, it would be to learn how to make a quick decision. I know. Quick decisions usually get most people into trouble. For me, it's the opposite. Indecision is the bane of my existence. I have to weigh each decision. Look at the pros and cons. Which is usually a good thing. But I'm also a procrastinator -- yeah, New Year's resolution #2: Stop Procrastinating.

My latest roller coaster ride is over the purchase of a new camera bag. A couple of years ago I thought it would be really great to have a camera bag that didn't look like a camera bag. Why couldn't a camera bag look like a purse? Seems I wasn't the only woman out there with that thought and found several websites where enterprising women had designed gorgeous, functional bags at price tags that were way out of my league. So I settled for a inexpensive Lowepro sling bag, an easy decision as I found it for cheap on eBay. Getting a good deal often succeeds in breaking the ugly cycle of indecision for me. It gets me a lot of stuff I could have lived without, but at least I didn't pay full price.

Then one day on a casual visit to National Camera my eyes landed on a Kelly Moore bag. Now, for a girl who can use the same purse day in and day out for several years, it's saying a lot that I noticed these bags. Maybe it was the fake croc skin that drew me, but I immediately went home and turned to the internet. I knew I had found my bag -- or at least the maker of my bags. Now I had to decide which one of the many styles she offers was the right bag for me. The 2-Sues bag had my name written all over it. But I was in no hurry. This was a want, not a need.

Another visit to National Camera for a new tripod (another struggle with indecisiveness) and they have more Kelly Moore bags. I immediately fall in love with the B-hobo bag. I want one. I have to have one. And I have to have it by next Friday. But which color? There are at least 8 colors shown on line. The store only has three of them: a black (I have way too much black), mustard (yuk) and red (will red go with any of my purple outfits?). I think I want a teal. So we drive to another store and they have one in teal. Only it's the same color teal of my computer screen. Not sure. Maybe I should go with the red? The next day I drive to another camera store which my GPS assures me is sitting in the middle of an intersection. After driving around for thirty minutes I call, and find they're closed for the holidays.

I get advice. I stare at pictures. I really want hot pink, but that would have to be ordered off the internet and to get it by Friday I'd have to pay an extra $20 and......see what I mean? If I had been able to make the decision when I first found these beautiful bags, I'd have exactly what I wanted and wouldn't be running around at the last minute trying to find what I wanted, knowing I'm going to have to settle in the end or just give it up. And this is not an isolated incident. This is how my brain works. I can hear my friends laughing; they've seen me in action.

So, New Years Resolution #1. Learn to make a quick decision.

Maybe I'll just get the black one.

A Day at Como Park

2011-12-11T18:24:00.000-06:00

I attended my first photography meet-up today. It was held at the Como Park Conservatory bright and early, allowing us an opportunity to use our tripods and pose for photos. The big draw was the Holiday Flower Show - an area filled with poinsettias. Those photos I won't share. I've never been a fan of the big red blooms and I think my photos show it. In fact, looking at all the photos I took (245 of them), I think its evident that what I really enjoy is macro photography. So right now I'm regretting the 75-300 mm lens I just bought and am wishing I had gone for a macro lens instead.

I loved the big fans and the patterns that they make. I took a lot of photos of them and then had some fun seeing what they looked like in black and white.

I like the patterns and the way the light shines through them.

Best of all is just pretending there's no snow on the ground and that it really is summer. It's a beautiful building and a great place to go in the summer.

Photography Bug

2011-12-05T21:45:00.000-06:00

I have another bug. Photography. While I come from the old school of film cameras that only advanced the film when you moved a lever with your thumb, I've really wholeheartedly accepted digital photography. It wasn't an easy transition. I still clung to the view that nothing compared to Kodachrome 64. But then I started exploring other photographer's websites and attending our local nature photography meetings. The colors were so vibrant that they seemed surreal.

Those vivid colors had me questioning my camera equipment. Should I get a new lens? A new camera? Did I need more megapixels? Of course, all of that might help, but I'm discovering that post-production has a lot to do with it, too. I've been having fun with a free trial of Adobe Lightroom and here are my results.

I was in Duluth in October and forgot to change the white balance on my camera. This is what I got:

Then I played around with Adobe Lightroom and this is what I got:

Imagine what I could do if I really knew how to use the program.

More Than Butterflies

2011-11-30T20:53:00.001-06:00

I'm not ready for winter. So, I spend my time looking back at the photos I took over those warm summer months. While you might not realize it from my blogs, there were more than butterflies in my garden. I also found these beautiful beetles I'd never seen before. They're milkweed beetles. And each one seems to have a different pattern on its back.

Then there were the grasshoppers.

What big teeth you have, my dear.

And the green tomatoes. It was the first year I'd ever tried growing tomatoes and not all of them turned red. So there was another first -- green fried tomatoes.

Watch a Monarch Caterpillar's Heart Beat

2011-08-10T20:48:00.002-05:00

This is really an amazing video. You can see the pulsing heart beat of the caterpillar. I'm having trouble getting my links to show up, but if you hover your cursor next to the colon, you should find it: A Monarch's Heartbeat.

Meanwhile, I only have one caterpillar in the chrysalis stage right now. When this little guy emerges he or she will fly off, mate and produce the eggs of the generation destined to migrate all the way to Mexico or California for the winter.

A monarch lives 6-8 weeks, from egg to butterfly. Each year there are four generations of monarchs. The migrating butterflies head north and lay their eggs in March/April, giving life to that year's 1st generation. When they become butterflies, they will begin the cycle again in May and June for the second generation. The third generation is born in July and August and the fourth in September/October. This last generation is unique. They do not die. Instead, they migrate south to Mexico and California, where they will hibernate until February or March and they start their long flight back north where the cycle will begin again.

The flowering milkweed smells like honesuckle

But to continue this miraculous cycle, monarchs need milkweed. It is the only plant they lay their eggs on and the only plant the growing caterpillars feed on. Without it, they cannot exist. Unfortunately, the fields and pastures where these plants once flourished have been uprooted by shopping malls and houses. So, I urge you to set aside a small corner in your garden and plant some milkweed. Don't like to garden? Plant some anyway. It will grow in spite of you. And next summer you can enjoy watching this cycle of life play out in your own backyard. It's worth it.

It's A Boy!

2011-07-09T07:39:00.000-05:00

Getting up to work out at 5:30 in the a.m. more often than not ends up with me hitting the snooze button on the alarm a couple of times. Then I remembered there was a butterfly about to birth. Nothing like the right motivation.

My timing was perfect. Here is the sequence of events.

You can barely see it, but if you look at the lower left wing, you can see a spot in the vein. This indicates it's a male.

Monarch Butterflies

2011-07-06T20:52:00.001-05:00

Monarch Butterflies, a set on Flickr.

Photostream of the butterlies

Butterflies are Free!

2011-07-06T18:35:00.000-05:00

You can see his wings

I went to bed on Friday night feeling anxious. One of the monarch chrysalis' was changing. The wings could be seen beneath the pale green of its cocoon. I didn't want to miss watching the butterfly burst forth from its shell, but it was late and I was tired.

small wings, large body

Still, I was up early on Saturday, checking on my butterfly's progress. Happily, he was still in his shell. In the short time it took me to feed the dog, he had begun to emerge.

wings are uncurling, getting larger

At first his wings seemed much to small and I worried that he was deformed in some way. I took him outside into the sunshine. He began to move his wings, opening them, soaking up the warm morning air. He sat on my finger, weightless, his feet sticky.

I went into the house and found another of the butterflies had emerged from her chrysalis. I had two of them now.

They both hung on the bird feeder for awhile and then, worrying that a bird might think they looked too enticing, I moved them to the garden. And that's where they stayed until they flew away. They're both females, so I hope they'll soon mate and lay more eggs in my garden.

Free at last

Life With Monarchs

2011-06-30T22:43:00.001-05:00

This morning I missed watching one of my monarchs transform into its chrysalis. When I shuffled into the kitchen this morning, he was the same as I left him last night: hanging upside down from a twig. The one difference was that his little mouth parts were moving as if munching on an imaginary leaf. Do caterpillars dream?

An hour letter I checked on him once more before walking out the door and to my amazement he was now a little jade capsule with gold trim. I had totally missed the change. I had absolutely no idea they could change that quickly.

I also learned that they can move quickly. Returning home from work, I counted only three caterpillars on the milkweed plants I had potted indoors. I was missing one. I looked around at my feet, afraid that he had fallen and I had stepped on him. Or maybe the dog had eaten him. Thankfully, I found him on the underside of the kitchen table.

First Tiger Lily

2011-06-23T19:30:00.002-05:00

First lily of the season

Found this big guy this morning. Don't know how I missed him.

This morning my bed of tiger lilies were all buds waiting to burst. This evening one of them had opened. I always love the first blooms.

Meanwhile, I have counted four milkweed plants with caterpillar activity. And as many times as I check on them, I was surprised to find a really big guy on one of the leaves.

There are also the disappointments. Seeing signs of caterpillar presence and then not finding anything. Ants like to eat eggs and larvae and will take it back to their own nests to feed their colony. Spiders and Asian lady beetle larvae and adults also take their toll.

Yep, that's caterpillar poop!

How do I know there were monarch caterpillar's present? The state of the milkweed is a sure sign. If there are holes in the leaves, a caterpillar has been munching. And the bigger the holes, the larger the caterpillar. Caterpillar droppings are also quite evident the larger they get.

With all this concentrating on the caterpillar, I need to start thinking of planting some more nectar plants for the adult butterflies to feed on. If it ever stops raining long enough to plant something!

Transformation

2011-06-21T19:25:00.000-05:00

This morning I had a caterpillar in a jar.

When I got home from work, I had this:

If you look closely at the first photo you can see the tiny silk threads that will become his silk pad, where he will attach himself as he moves into the pupa stage. The beautiful green chrysalis with the ring of gold dots will protect the forming butterfly. If everything goes as planned, in 10-14 days he (or she -- and yes, I can tell them apart), will emerge as a full grown monarch butterfly, ready to fly off, mate and, if it's a female, lay eggs of her own.

Watching this process, it's easy to understand why the butterfly is a symbol of transformation. Beautiful from the start, the caterpillar is able to transcend its form to become something breathtaking.

Monarchs in the Garden

2011-06-19T09:55:00.001-05:00

Monarchs in the garden

An authors’ most frequently asked questions is where do you get your ideas? It’s simple. The same place everyone else does. My recent inspiration came from my granddaughter when she brought home a monarch caterpillar from the State Fair. It was getting ready to spin its chrysalis. It was a fascinating process to watch. When we finally released the butterfly, I had tears in my eyes, like sending my child off to her first day of kindergarten. I was hooked.

So very tiny

I had already planted several varieties of milkweed in my garden to attract the butterflies -- that I already knew from my own childhood fascination with them. Monarchs eat milkweed. The first summer I planted the milkweed I counted over a dozen monarch caterpillars munching on my milkweed. They were big and easy to spot. Then they disappeared. I assumed they had found a branch somewhere to turn into a chrysalis and begin their transformation, but I could never find the little green pod they were supposed to turn into. I also found little monarch carcasses lying on milkweed leaves. The mortality rate seemed to be high.

4 days later

So I researched. I was amazed. Monarchs only lay their eggs on milkweed plants. The mortality rate is high. As much as I have always believed in letting nature take its course, it seems a monarch caterpillar has a much better chance of survival in a jar in my kitchen than it does in the wild. So, I was prepared last spring to take some of the caterpillars in and watch them grow.

But there were no caterpillars. Nada. None. It was
very disappointing as overall monarch populations are down. Thankfully, this year I found at least a dozen little caterpillar eggs on my milkweed plants (yeah, I have become so obsessed, I can recognize butterfly eggs!) A few days later they hatched. I was excited, but couldn't take any of them into the house as I was leaving on vacation. They need a constant supply of fresh milkweed, so I had to leave them to nature. When I got back, I could only find three, but oh my, how they've grown.

12 days later and still growing!

Houses

2011-06-08T21:35:00.000-05:00

There’s a housing crisis in my neighborhood – more specifically in my backyard. It all began when I bought a homemade, solidly built birdhouse at Karl Oskar Days in Lindstrom, MN. Besides the sturdy wood construction, what attracted me was that the birdhouse was mounted on a pitchfork, making it super easy to set up. Cleaning it was also a cinch, just pull the nail out from the front of the house and the bottom swings down for easy cleaning. A very clever idea.

I haven’t had much luck with birdhouses in the past. I have nine in the backyard. Only one of them has ever been occupied - if you don't count the wasps that moved into the birdhouse that looks like a castle. It took a pair of wrens two years to discover the pale yellow birdhouse hidden in a brush of jack pye weeds, and they hired a downy woodpecker to elongate the small entryway before they moved in. So, my hopes were not high that the new home would be lived in anytime soon.

Being the attentive landlord I am, I noticed a twig sticking out of the birdhouse’s opening while I was rushing out to my car one morning. I made a note to investigate and promptly forgot. When I finally remembered, there was no longer any sign of occupancy. I peeked in the hole, but it only opened up to a small dark cavern. I could see nothing. So, I decided to see how easily the little trap door on the bottom worked. It did, and nothing fell out. Not satisfied, I stuck my finger up into the house and sunk it into a mass of gathered grass and sticks. At, which point, a little head popped out of the bird’s door, blinked at me, squawked and pulled back in. It happened so fast, I had no time to determine what species of bird had taken offense at my sticking my fingers into its home. It turned out to be a black-capped chickadee.

I was afraid my faux paux would drive the little birds away, but I spent the weekend watching them flitter among the branches of an overhanging tree and darting into their new home when they thought I wasn’t looking. For a bird that can be tamed to eat out of a person’s hand, they are very skittish.

Glorious Swiss Food

2011-03-26T21:22:00.002-05:00

Carbs. Ya gotta love 'em. At least if you're traveling in Switzerland's heartland. This is the German part of the country and good hearty fare is the rule of the day.

My first Swiss meal was in the small town of Giswil at the Bahnhof Hotel, across the street from the train station. They specialize in traditional Swiss cuisine, which does not include a lot of vegetarian selections unless you like beets and brussel sprouts. So, I tended to stay away from the salad bar.

Älpermagronen became a favorite of mine. It's the Alpine farmer's mac and cheese. Macaroni, potatoes (yeah, all in one dish --carb heaven!), onions, cream and Gruyere cheese served with applesauce on the side. I never was sure what the proper way to eat the applesauce was, so often ended up spooning it over the Älpermagronen. It might not have been the way the Swiss eat it, but it was delicious and something I would never think of doing at home.

Another popular dish in Switzerland is rösti. Rösti is basically hash browns covered in melted cheese and served with sausage. On Mt. Schilthorn I found a vegetarian version: rösti with vegetable bouquet and sour cream. Notice the brussell sprouts.

In Lauterbrunnen, hard apple cider was ordered and arrived at the table in a fancy bottle. Notice the line on the right side of the wine glass? Wine in Switzerland is ordered by the deciliter. It arrives at your table in a clear glass carafe which has the measurements clearly marked on it. The correct amount is then poured into your glass leaving no room for anyone to complain to the bartender that they've been cheated.

This was my favorite meal the entire trip: rösti again, but this time served with poached eggs and slices of tomatoes on top of the hash browns and then smothered in delicious Alpine cheese. And no brussel sprouts!

Ever wonder where meringue was invented? In Switzerland! In the town of Meiringen which sounds like meringue when pronounced correctly. Meiringen was a favorite town of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and I'm sure he must have sampled an ice cream sunday topped with meringue and a cookie.

No trip to Switzerland is complete without sampling fondue. In Spiez we ate at a wonderful restaurant with a beautiful view of Lake Thun (pronounced Toon) and enjoyed cheese fondue. The fondue usually includes a mixture of several different cheeses and is served with crusty bread.

Of course there was lots of chocolate. The Swiss invented milk chocolate, which is my favorite.

No matter how delicious the food, after two weeks, I'm always happy to see something familiar. In this instance it was an English pub in Lucerne that served fish and chips. What wasn't familiar was the price. Eating out in Switzerland is expensive. This plate (1 piece of fish and fries) was the equivalent of $25.

But where else can you watch swans swimming under a 600 year old bridge while you eat?

2011-03-12T13:31:00.001-06:00

No matter where you travel, there are always signs to point the way.

They tell us what not to do.

They tell us where to go.

Or where not to go.

I collected a lot of photos of signs in Switzerland, mostly because they were different than what I see at home. Here's a sign of sorts advertising a bakery and coffee shop. It looks like the Loch Ness Croissant waiting to pounce on the next hapless customer that passes through the cafe's door.

And Ladies (or men), in case you were thinking of doing some hiking along this path (9,000 feet above sea level) in your high heels, here's a sign to discourage you.

I never did hear an echo, but not for want of trying.

The train station in Lucerne had a McClean toilet. It cost me 2 Swiss Francs to use (about $2) and was, by far, the cleanest facility I've ever been in. I wish I had taken photos inside, but matron on duty was a bit intimidating.

It took me a few days of sightseeing to figure out what the little running white man meant -- I can only plead jet lag.

And Master Yoda, please note, Dagoba is only open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

But sometimes it wasn't so much what the sign said as where it was located.

Thanks for visiting and have a good trip!

I'm not kidding, that is what it says.

Show your support for the Dog And Cat Breeder Regulation Bill

2011-02-27T11:52:00.000-06:00

Meet Millie. How can you resist those big brown eyes? Unfortunately, the people she trusted to care for her could. Millie is a rescue from a puppy mill. She is a bichon frise, known for their happy dispositions and loving personalities, but for the six years of her life, Millie was used to produce litter after litter of puppies. She probably never experienced a human touch unless it was to pick her up by the scruff of the neck, as she cringes when someone tries to pet her. She probably never had a bath as she had was covered in twelve-inch dreadlocks that were dirty and crusty with blood and afterbirth. She probably never had her nails trimmed as they looked like twisted twigs. She had ear mites and a yeast infection in her ears. Instead of being given a name, she had a number tattooed in her ear. This is how puppy mills care for their animals.

This is what the Dog and Cat Breeder Regulation Bill (S.F. 462/H.F. 702) is hoping to stop. Introduced at the Minnesota State Legislature by Senator Barb Goodwin and Representative John Lesch, it is supported by a large coalition of Minnesota animal welfare organizations, veterinarians and community members that have been working to ensure the health and safety of dogs and cats in Minnesota. This introduced state law that will require licensing and inspection of commercial dog and cat breeding operations.

Don't let other dogs and cats lead a life like Millie's. This is not the first time a bill like this has been introduced. There is a strong lobby against this legislation. So please help. Tuesday, March 1 the Animal Humane Society is asking Minnesotans to call, write or email their State Senator and State Representative to voice their support of this legislation. For more information on how you can help click here.

Millie is one of the lucky ones. She's been rescued. She has a chance of being adopted and becoming the happy dog she was meant to be.

2011-02-26T13:53:00.000-06:00

Last year I had posted my dilemna of where to go on vacation. I was seriously considering a cruise, but wasn't sure it was for me. I still don't know, because I chose Switzerland, about as land-locked a country as you can get. And one of the most beautiful.

The view from my balcony.

I fell in love with everything Swiss. But what I enjoyed most wasn't the mountains (which were breathtaking) or the glacier-fed lakes (so blue and clear you could see the bottom) or even the chocolate (delicious).

It was the people. At a time when I've been battling neighbors who see nothing wrong with turning the car stereo on full volume in the middle of the night, it was a joy to be among people who were considerate and very aware of their impact on other people.

I had been in Switzerland for a week before I realized I hadn't heard a single cell phone ring. I hadn't overheard anyone's potty-mouthed conversation. I hadn't even seen people at dinner texting instead of talking. There were cell phones. I saw people carrying them. Saw them talking on them. Or maybe they were whispering. Because I was never forced to be an unwilling listener to any of their conversations.

Just about everything is recycled. When we arrived at our apartment our landlady gave us directions on kitchen etiquette. From meat to paper towels, just about everything went into a bin to be recycled or composted. The Swiss have the highest recycling rate in the world. Due, in part, to the fact that garbage bags are taxed. The less garbage, the less tax.

Politeness seems to be a way of life over there. Yes, they do put their feet up on the seats of the trains -- after they've taken their shoes off and set a newspaper beneath them. Maybe that's the real reason Swiss trains run like clockwork. It's not that they're obsessed with timeliness. It's just that it would be rude to keep a passenger waiting.

Neighbors - Ya Gotta Hate 'em

2010-08-14T23:31:00.000-05:00

The clock is creeping toward midnight. I can't sleep. The drumbeat coming from next door is like the tell-tale heart, slowly driving me nuts. Even with all the windows shut, the air condition running and earplugs stuffed in my ears, I can hear it.

All summer the neighbors on the north side (renters who moved in last fall) have partied. They have a stereo set up in their garage that they turn up full volume, then retreat to their deck to party. Sometimes it's on the weekend, sometimes it's in the middle of the week. Sometimes it's an all nighter and sometimes it's just for an hour. Monday the music was still blaring at 11:00 p.m. I finally blew up the air mattress and slept in the living room; the only room in the house where I couldn't hear them. Saturday, when the party started after midnight I broke. I called the police. Ten minutes later blissful silence. I haven't heard a peep out of them since.

Now the quiet neighbors on the south side have taken up the challenge. It's almost midnight and they're in the garage with the music full volume and have been reveling since around seven. When I let the dog out, they asked me if the music was too loud. At first I was going to do the Minnesota Nice Thing and lie and say no. Instead I very nicely asked if they could just turn it down a notch. They didn't have to turn it off, just turn it down. The neighbor, who I genuinely like, seemed horrified at the thought that they were being too loud and I could hear her asking her guests to turn it down. Obviously, they didn't listen.

I'm not against partying. They're not a bunch of drunks, they're just having a good time. But I'm not. Maybe I'm getting old, but more than a party these days, I really enjoy a good night's sleep. What ever happened to common courtesy? It seems the more crowded this planet gets, the ruder people get. There's a since of entitlement among people these days. No one has the right to infringe on their rights, but they don't give a damn about how they infringe on yours. The only right I want at the moment is the right to a good night's sleep. But the beat goes on. And on. And on.

Driving Miss Crazy

2010-03-16T22:42:00.000-05:00

No one can drive me crazier than I can drive myself. It's a more direct route and I get there a lot faster. Take my vacation plans. Please.

Last week I set a new goal for myself. I want to spend my birthday in a more exotic location than Minnesota -- out of the state, out of the country. Doesn't matter. I just want to be somewhere else. Don't even ask how I came to that decision. It's not even one of those landmark birthdays with a zero as the second digit. It sounded like a good idea at the time.

So did taking a Mediterranean cruise. I've never been on a cruise before; never wanted to go on one. Traveling on a ship that's bigger than the ports it visits seemed wrong somehow. I mean, the Mall of America is fun to visit, but the thought of spending two weeks living on its floating counterpart was intimidating. Still, a lot of my friends love 'em and I was warming up to the idea, mostly because it seemed an easy way to see a lot of countries in a short amount of time.

I approached the planning as I do everything. With lots of research. I've been an information junkie since before Al Gore invented the Internet. In the early days, I used the library. Now I have information on every cruise ship in the world at the click of a mouse. I explored itineraries and prices. I read reviews. I learned the personalities of each cruise line. I learned the lingo. I spent every free hour doing my due diligence until I had it narrowed down to two cruise lines.

Not satisfied, I made a quick trip to the library. I picked up a book -- The Unofficial Guide to Cruise Ships-- with the hopes it would help me choose the right cruise line. The book looked harmless enough, but I think it was written by a secret cruise hater. Instead of getting me excited about going on a cruise, it confirmed what I had known all along. Cruising is not for me.

I still want to take that trip. Still want to be gone on my birthday. Now I just have to figure out where and how. Back to the drawing board.

Training Trixie

2010-01-24T08:32:00.000-06:00

Most foster dogs come with at least one behavioral problem. The prevalent challenge among the dogs I've taken care of is that they haven't been properly housebroken. Trixie is one of them. The problem is that Trixie hasn't done anything since she arrived at my house yesterday morning.

I have been watching her like a hawk. When she's in a carpeted room, I'm either playing with her or she's cuddled on the couch next to me. I took her outside every half hour or so but all she did was eat rabbit shit (I rent a space under the garage to an ever growing population of bunnies). Either she's a pro at sneak and pee or else she has one of the largest bladders a dog has ever had. Last night she slept next to my bed in the kennel. Every time she whined I got up and took her outside. Even though I have a fenced in yard, I put her on a leash in a useless attempt to keep the bunny doodoo out of her mouth. That was the only thing we accomplished -- that and a pretty much sleepless night for me.

This morning I took her for a long walk. It resulted in some much needed exercise for me (2,979 steps according to my pedometer) and a very wet dog. She's now regulated to the kitchen where I've spread today's sports page all over the floor. Later, when PetSmart opens I'll buy some puppy biddle pads and hope that works. Keep your fingers crossed

Remembering Dixie

2010-01-23T08:27:00.000-06:00

In a couple of hours I will be meeting Trixie. She's a six-month old cockapoo and she'll be the first dog I've had in my house since my own dog, Dixie, died two weeks ago. I'm thinking it might be a bit too soon to have another dog in the house, but I couldn't say no. It's what I do.

I've been fostering dogs for about four years now and have fallen in love with everyone of them. This will be my first puppy. All of the other dogs I've fostered have been older. Dixie was a senior, going blind and partially deaf and didn't need a playful pal jumping all over her. She must have had some clout in the dog world as each dog I fostered was always respectful of her. Some downright ignored her. Some might try to steal her bed, but always moved out of the way when she came back to claim her space.

So today I'm puppy-proofing the house again and remembering Dixie.

My Top 10 List - Cancelled Too Soon

2009-12-18T22:39:00.001-06:00

It's that time of year again. When we're bombarded by everyone's top 10 list. Top 10 baby names, top 10 news stories, top 10 worst movies, top 10 worst moments, best moments. So here's my list: The Top Ten Prematurely Cancelled programs, my vote for shows I loved for far too short a time.

1. Moonlight - a fun, sexy vampire that got prematurely staked by the writers' strike.

2. Firefly - the powers that be didn't even think it was important enough to air the first episode first. Sounds like network sabotage to me

3. Dirty Sexy Money - My guilty pleasure

4. Enemy Within - Love Christian Slater

5. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - A quirky behind-the-scenes comedy show with Matthew Perry and the writers of West Wing

6. The Unusuals - a very quirky police show with characters that were truly different

7. Men in Trees - did I mention I like quirky?

8. The Bionic Woman - Much better than the original IMHO

9. The Dollhouse - Another Josh Whedon show to hit the skids. I guess Fox just doesn't know what to do with dark and original.

10. Tales of the Gold Monkey - still waiting for this one to come to DVD. Donald Bellasario are you listening?

So what shows do you think were cancelled much too soon?

Twelve Thousand, Six Hundred and Ninety Six Words and Counting

2009-11-09T12:00:00.000-06:00

That's right. 12,696 words. I've counted every last one of them and can hardly believe it myself. I've just completed the first week of the National Write a Novel Month exercise and am loving it. My goal is 1666 words a day and I'm really amazed at how easy it is to accomplish -- even having a full time job and doing all the other things I enjoy doing. I don't claim to be writing anything I'd care to show anybody, but the exercise in speed writing is invaluable even if the actually manuscript isn't.

The freedom of not having the time to edit, or think, unable to even take the time to ponder the perfect name for a character, has brought the fun back to writing for me. It's turned into a personal quest as I move forward each day, not looking back, not knowing quite what I'll find around the next corner. I'm not even sure which genre I'm writing. There was a dead body on the first page, but now there seems to be a romance heating up between my heroine and some doctor that showed up around the 10,000 word mark. And I don't care. I'm enjoying the journey. I'll follow it, wherever it should lead.

The part I didn't expect from this month long exercise, was how it is flowing into other things in my life. Maybe it's the sense of accomplishment I feel each day as I get my minimum daily word goal completed. Or maybe it's just the energy spilling over, but I'm not only writing, I'm cleaning, organizing and exercising. Anyone who knows me will tell you these are rare moments indeed. Next thing you know I may be opening a cookbook! Look out Martha Stewart!

National Novel Writing Month

2009-11-01T17:56:00.000-06:00

Today officially began National Novel Writing Month, otherwise known as NaNoWrNo (nano nano, anyone?). What is it? A challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in one month. Thousands of people across the world have signed up for the challenge. Will they all make it? Doubtful. Is it worth it? Hmmmm. I wasn't really sure until today.

I signed up for the challenge last week. I've always wanted to do it and this was the year. Up until this afternoon, though, I wasn't sure I was going to follow though. It's not like I don't have enough taking up my time this month -- or any month for that matter. And I've never been that ambitious writer who's willing to sacrifice everything for the craft. I have kids, I have a grandchild, I have an elderly mother, I foster animals for a pet rescue group, I bead, and I have tons of housework I've been avoiding for ages and I have two novels in the works. So, the challenge to write a novel in a month's time didn't seem like something I really needed right now. But would anytime be the right time?

I wasn't even sure I was going to make the attempt until I started writing at 2:30 this afternoon. 1753 words later, I'm still dazed. I hadn't expected the words to flow as they did. I hadn't expected the ideas to flow.

When I sat down at the computer, I had only a vague idea of what I wanted to do. No plot, no research, I was writing cold. The challenge of finishing a novel in a month forces me to keep moving forward. There's no time for editing, for refining, or for looking up the perfect word. I couldn't even spend time figuring out the names of my characters. One of them is named after my TV set, another after my favorite Muppets character. I grabbed whatever came to mind and went with it.

It's incredibly freeing to spout out 53,000 words in a month's time. It's made writing fun again. It doesn't matter what I write, just that I write it. And who knows, I may just have the germ of a novel when I finish, one that's worth refining and polishing into a book I can be proud of.

Learning Patience

2009-10-18T16:25:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning I was letting the dogs out and noticed a rabbit huddled in the sun next to the house. Not wanting to disturb him, I ushered my clueless canines into the house and went about my day. At noon another puppy bathroom call took me outside and the little bunny was still there. This time I brought my camera and took some pictures. He didn't move a muscle. Two hours later he was still there. The last time I checked on him the sun had set and he was still there.

As I rushed through the day today, overwhelmed by what I need to get done, I thought of my little brown friend. I don't know if he was getting his daily dose of vitamin D, or was just enjoying summer's last hurrah. That's when I decided to kick back and relax. If a rabbit can sit in a garden an entire day without moving, I guess I can enjoy the here and now for at least an hour. So I'm kicking back, enjoying a cup of cider and enjoying the rest of the day.

A Different Kind of Family Reunion

2009-09-27T12:26:00.000-05:00

There are all sorts of reunions. Family reunions. High school reunions. Reunions of veterans. The reunion I attended on Saturday was the reunion of a village. Venjan, a beautiful little town in the northern part of Dalarna, Sweden, was the home my great-grandparents had left to build a new life in Minnesota. Over 20% of Venjan's population emigrated to North America, many of them coming to Minnesota; many of those coming to Isanti County. On Saturday, over 200 descendants of those villagers came together to share their stories, their histories and their culture.

In some ways it was a reuniting of families. Over thirty people traveled from Sweden for this reunion. I met the descendants of my great-grandfather's sister, Anna Sigfridson, who had stayed behind in Sweden. Some of them still live in Venjan.

Some of our Swedish visitors wore the beautiful traditional costumes from Dalarna. And some brought their accordions, concertinas and fiddles. I sang along with songs I hadn't heard since I was a little girl and my grandmother and her sisters would gather around the piano and sing the songs their parents had taught them. It was a wonderful day and the time we spent together went much too fast.

I was invited to visit Sweden and hope to make that trip next summer for the Venjan festival in Sweden. One of the homes of my great grandparents is not only still standing, but being lived in!

Trip's End

2009-08-08T19:20:00.000-05:00

Yesterday (Friday) was relaxing, if not a bit frustrating. We started out at the Alexander Ramsey house, the home of Minnesota's first territorial governor. I had never been there and really looked forward to going inside what is one of America's best preserved Victorian houses. Despite the brochure that said it was open on Fridays, we found the place closed, open on Saturday and Sunday only. This was the third historical site we had found closed during our trip. So I called ahead to our next stop, the Sibley House. Henry Sibley was Minnesota's first governor and it, too, was only open on Saturdays -- but only the first and third Saturday of the month.

Our next stop was the beautiful town of Stillwater. Thankfully, it was open, as was the Warden's House, the home of Stillwater Prison's wardens. The Younger brothers, once part of Jesse James' gang, were incarcerated here after being captured in Northfield, MN and there are some photos of them on display. The Warden's House was filled with lots of artifacts from the early 1800s, including a piano and a spattekaka tool, used to make delicate meringue cakes that were decorated with live flowers. I had read that the house was haunted, and so was on the look -out for ghosts. And I wasn't the only one that saw the spinning wheel start turning on its own when no one was near it!

The prison itself, sadly, was destroyed some years ago when some young boys set it on fire. Fortunately, the culprits were arrested when one of the boys tried to turn the others in and collect the ransome money.

The Victorian architecture of the town is still well preserved and a number of them have been turned into incredible B&B's. While I've never stayed at one, I'm sorely tempted. I may need it to recuperate from this "vacation."

We wound up the trip today by going on a tour of the Wabasha Caves. Once a speak-easy and night club, the country's most famous gangsters tripped the light-fantastic here. The tour guide was funny and entertaining and looked a bit like Tom Hanks. The old night club, too, is haunted. We were shown a photo taken of a little boy at a wedding. Next to him was a whispy white figure of what looked like a small boy and behind him a smokey character with a white hat.

Monday it's back to work!

Day Whatever and 1,000 miles later -- but who's counting?

2009-08-08T08:08:00.000-05:00

The traveling days just kept getting longer and longer and dragging myself to bed each night was an effort, let alone opening my computer. The last two days I have flew past more of the Twin Cities and southwestern Minnesota than I ever knew existed.

Wednesday was another day of drive-by shootings. Me driving and Karen shooting - pictures of store fronts, post offices, houses -- all the places that had any connection with a crime from our gangster past. The site I got the biggest kick out of was the Victorian home that the Hammes beer family once lived in. I doubt their heirs still occupy the residence, but in the front yard is a wooden carving of the Hammes bear. I was surprised Karen knew nothing about the bear that danced through all those beer commercials, but I guess it's a Minnesota thing.

Thursday we drove down to the Minnesota Viking's Training Camp in Mankato. The place was packed and I dropped Karen off while I found a place to park. Anyone who knows me, knows I'm not a sports fan. I wouldn't recognize a Viking linebacker from a Twins shortstop. So when I wandered up to a crowd of people standing by a gate, waiting for a player to notice them, I just started taking photos. Several very nice young athletes came along to sign autographs. I didn't recognize any of them, but some of them were pretty cute. So, while seeing a real live Viking up close gave me no special thrill, I enjoyed the eye-candy.

After the Vikings it was on to the Sioux Uprising of 1862. I'm embarrased to say I knew nothing about this segment of Minnesota history and, thanks to Pawlenty's budget cuts, I didn't learn a whole lot more (more on that in a later post). We visited historic Ft. Ridgely and the Lower Sioux Agency, both of which were closed, so we were only able to wander around and read the signage. We also stopped at various monuments commemorating the people that were killed during the uprising -- White settlers and Native Americans. While I had seen the bison statue across from the Mankato library many times I had no idea it honored the 38 Sioux who were hanged after the uprising.

The biggest glitch in our ride home was Delano. Avoid it like the plague. It is the worse or the worst example of Minnesota road construction season. We were driving in from the southwest, it was dark, and we saw the signs that the road into Delano would be closed. I assumed there would be a detour around the town. There wasn't. All roads leading into Delano were closed. I expected Rod Serling to step out from the darkness and explain that the whole town had been abducted by aliens. At that point, I wish I had been. We had to drive all the way back to Buffalo and catch a detour there. Not something I wanted to do after a day of driving. Arghhh.

Day 4 - 726 miles later

2009-08-05T08:05:00.000-05:00

I was much too tired to even attempt to blog last night. Didn't even look at my e-mail, so you know I was dead on my feet.

While I like fictional crimes, Karen prefers the real deal and is very big on "collecting" crime sites. It's kind of like birding, without the binoculars. So, Tuesday was spent visiting the scenes of the infamous Ma Barker gang. Who knew they had shot and killed a man while changing vehicles in Como Park. Or that they had kidnapped the Hammes beer heir? I don't quite get the thrill of standing outside a house where they had tossed a bottle with a ransom message through a window as Karen does, but I did enjoy our tramping through some St. Paul cemeteries.

I've always marveled at the gorgeous statues that grace the tombstones. Some of the older grave markers were worn, the lettering barely readable. Most of these early markers were made of sandstone. I think it's sad that over the years, the final resting place of some of these people will no longer bear their name. And as the years past, there's no family members left to care. Although, some of the older markers had been replaced with new marble stones.

After the sun set, we walked across the Stone Arch bridge and got some lovely shots of the new 35W bridge. It's frustrating that the best Minneapolis skylines are seen from the freeway. I have yet to find a safe place a person can stop to take a photo. If you know, please let me know!

Day 3

2009-08-03T23:20:00.000-05:00

The Timberline Inn where we stayed was great. It has that log cabin look and we had a balcony overlooking a tree line of white birch and oak trees. It was quiet and I really wish I could have stayed a couple of extra nights.

Breakfast was back at the Little Bohemia Lodge. I think they had it in for us there. Last night we had dinner, which was very good, but we noticed that all the other tables had baskets of bread. We didn't. And this morning with my pancakes I got one of those little containers of syrup, like the ones you get at McDonalds. All the other diners had bottles of syrup on the table. Weird.

Around lunch time we headed toward Ashland and Bayfield, Wisconsin. As I had once lived in Ashland, it was like going home. But my, things can change in 15 years. More big box stores have moved in, while a lot of the little shop owners had moved out leaving emply store fronts. I stopped by the home of an old friend, hoping to suprise her, but as I suspected she was at work and we couldn't stay.

Day 2

2009-08-03T23:03:00.000-05:00

There's not much to the town of Manitowish Waters. No cell phone service. No WiFi. I thought I'd be smart and type up my blog entry in MS Word and just paste it into my blog when I got home today. No such luck. Guess there's no cut and paste with Google's Blogger. Nothing seems to be easy these days.

Little Bohemia did not disappoint. For those of you who have not seen the movie "Public Enemies", this is where they shot some of the movie and where the actual event -- a shoot out between the FBI and John Dillinger and his gang -- took place. There are still bullet holes in the walls and windows and the old dining hall looks much the same as it did in Dillinger's day.

There's an interesting display of personal items the Dillinger gang left behind when they made their getaway. There was an old tooth powder tin (did they have toothpaste back then?) and a tube of Burma Shave. Having grown up looking for Burma's clever roadside signs, it was kind of cool to see the actual product. There were also several tins of chewable laxatives, making you wonder if all that bank robbery was taking its toll on the guys.

Road Trip!

2009-08-01T22:12:00.000-05:00

Today was officially the first day of my vacation. My friend Karen, from Pennsylvania, is joining me for the adventure. When it comes to getting to know your home state, there's nothing like having an out-of-state visitor.

After picking Karen up at the airport this afternoon, we stopped at the Mall of America. A stop to this huge mall is never quick and after making several stops, including the Vikings store and B&N, we were off to Ft. Snelling, Minnesota's first National Historic Landmark

Construction began on Ft. Snelling in 1820. Camped nearby was a Dakota Village and a fur company. For almost 30 years it was the hub of the Upper Mississippi. During the Civil War it was where volunteers for the Union Army trained. During WWII it processed over 100,000 G.I.s. The visitor's center and fort were closed by the time we arrived, but it was still interesting to walk around the old fort and enjoy some of the paths.

Tomorrow we're hot on the trail of John Dillinger, heading out to Wisconsin and the Little Bohemia Lodge.

Sometimes the most interesting things at the zoo aren't in the exhibits

2009-07-20T21:40:00.000-05:00

Minnesota is lucky enough to have three wonderful zoological gardens; in Duluth, St. Paul and Apple Valley. Yesterday, my granddaughter, Alanna, and I were at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley enjoying the new Russia's Grizzly Coast Exhibit, and the just-opened Woodland Playground, a dream come true for kids who are part mountain goat. The new Gateway Plaza with it's water-play was especially inviting in the warm summer sun. But with all of the new exhibits and entertainment available, we spent just as much time watching the wildlife outside of the exhibits as we did the animals in them.

There was the chipmunk who thought he was hiding from us as we sat in the shade of a tree enjoying our lunch. There were the hundreds of bullheads, swarming near the shore of the lake. Newly hatched, these hardy fish were no bigger than my thumbnail. Alanna was especially fasinated by a small turtle that bobbed in out of the water, too slow to catch any of the baby bullheads.

My point? Nature is all around us. Feeding the giraffes is a opportunity not to be missed, but don't overlook the miracle of nature that surrounds us each day. It's priceless.

Richard Castle in Print

2009-07-16T20:23:00.000-05:00

If you've been following "Castle" on ABC, and wonder if best-selling author Richard Castle is as good as he thinks he is -- as a writer, I mean -- you'll soon be able to find out. Castle's protagonist, Nikki Heat, will be making her literary debut on August 10. That's when ABC will begin running the first half of Heat Wave. For 10 weeks, a chapter a week will be revealed to eager readers. No word as of yet as to who is ghost writing the book, but on September 29, it will be available in print (at favorite bookstores everywhere I presume). The publishing date coincides with Castle's first episode of season 2. This is all part of ABC's efforts to tap into the amazing power of online social groups to support a show which hasn't been doing that well in the ratings. It's a great show, one of my favorites, and I applaude the network for getting behind it and not cancelling it at the first sign of trouble. Check the show out at http://castletv.net/