Blues of Geese & Vervain

Here's a cluster of BLUE vervain that was blooming in our road ditch last summer. There's a couple of little bees in the photo and a green beetle bug on one of the top stems.......I don't know if you can see them.


The entry for vervain in a tallgrass prairie wildflower book I have states: "Some native Americans gathered the seeds, which they roasted and then ground into a flour or meal. The Omaha prepared a tea from the leaves. The Teton Dakota used this beverage as a remedy for stomach aches." I always wish I had the nerve to try these wild plant remedies.......


Yesterday morning, I emerged from the barn after scraping cow manure, and was heading to the house when a honking sound from up above caught my ear. Three geese were flying low over our buildings, heading in a northerly direction. Their long necks were light-colored, unlike the Canada geese we commonly see, whose necks are black. I dug out my bird book and looked up other types of geese. Possibly the threesome were "Blue Geese". Despite what they may or may not be......to me they signified SPRING!" Perhaps, "once in a BLUE moon", one will see BLUE Geese......who knows!


The sun had some honest warmth to it yesterday, so maybe spring truly is about to settle into our area. And, hopefully, into your area, too!!!

Post-Mother's Day Thoughts

Obviously, I've let springtime cause me to neglect blogging. Not that it really matters, of course, but since this blog was created with the intention of posting regularly, I need to get back to that. This post's title indicates a Mother's Day theme, but first some thoughts on spring-planting.....
The regreening of our part of the earth has once again prompted much outdoor activity. Tractors rumble through the fields towing plows and planters. Pickups filled with sacks of seed corn sit at edges of fields, in readiness for the farmer's next stop to refill planter boxes. Planting equipment is quite high-tech now, with electronic sensers which keep the farmer in his tractor informed about the operation of the planter being pulled behind. Flashing lights and beepers will let him know if something is amiss. It seems the planters get bigger every year. When I was a kid, everyone used four-row planters. Now its common to see 24-row planters.

The worst thing is when you get a good whiff of odorous farm chemicals being sprayed on the fields. I had to shut all the windows the other day because a strong east wind kept bringing that awful chemical smell from the farm next door. Although I'm fully aware of the benefits of utilizing herbicides and pesticides, deep inside I wish that they didn't have to be used. They pollute and they stink. But, it's a tradeoff, I guess, for farm chemicals do allow farmers to efficiently produce food to feed the world.

As for Mother's Day......the other day I read of the true origin of this holiday. It actually originated as "Mothers Day for Peace" in the late 1800's. A woman named Julia Ward Howe, after seeing the ravages of wars in the U.S. and Europe, called for mothers to unite to promote peace in the world. Hmm. Somehow, this Mothers Day for Peace became the day for mothers themselves to be honored. Not that there is anything wrong with that, of course. Plus, think of all the greeting cards and gifts that are produced and sold, providing a boost to the economy. Hmm.

We don't celebrate Mother's Day too heavily around this household. It's like most every other Sunday......we go to church, come home and Mom fixes dinner. That's OK with me. My sons gave me hugs. My older daughter phoned and sent a card and gift certificate. My younger daughter gave me two candles, kitchen towels, and a DVD (one that she must have been wanting to see for she watched it right away!). Husband's mother passed away many years ago. My own mother is on a river cruise in Russia......I gave her a card and gift before she left. I can't wait to hear about Moscow and St. Petersburg!

Yesterday we had strong winds all day long and unseasonably warm temperatures. It actually was hot! I spent most of the day outdoors, and it seemed otherworldly out there. The sound of the wind roaring through the pine trees made me feel caught up in another dimension, enveloped about by constant sound and the warm whirling wind. A wonderful day, but tiring. Sun and wind really make me feel worn out.

Last evening after chores, as I was ready to collapse into the recliner, my daughter became frantic because the printer ran out of ink as she was trying to finish her senior English portfolio. So I had to do something I try to avoid.....running to town for just one item. I sped 20 miles to Super Walmart....they were out of the ink I was looking for. Then on to another Super Walmart, where they were out of that ink, too. (We have too many Walmarts around here.) Good grief! And it was getting late. Back in the car I happened to hear a radio commercial for Office Depot, so I headed there right before they closed, and they had just what I needed. Next time I will go there first.

Today the chilly weather has returned. A good day to stay inside blogging and baking cookies. Husband and I have started doing the newspaper Jumbles, ciphers, and crossword puzzles together over lunch. Surprisingly to me, it is alot of fun. And Husband seems to enjoy it, too. You never know what will turn out to be fun and enjoyable sometimes.

Remembering the Planters

On Monday I made a trip to town to buy garden seeds and plants. Last year I didn't get a garden put in because we were caught up in a house remodeling project. Actually, for the past many years I've really been lacking in enthusiasm for gardening. It seemed that the springtime months would get so busy that I just didn't have time for yardwork other than lawn mowing. Through eighth grade our kids all attended a Lutheran dayschool which had sports starting in fifth grade. We played against schools in our Lutheran district, but many of those events were over an hour away, so most Saturdays would be spent driving to and sitting at games. At the time, I thought I enjoyed all that running around, but now, I'm relieved to have those years behind me. Also, our school had lots of tasks for volunteers to do, so I spent time doing that, too. Twenty years were spent focused on that school......that is enough. And I retired from the church ladies group, too. It seemed pointless to go sit at meetings and yack about what we could do next to raise money. I had enough of that! I'm so happy to just stay home most of the time......and there is plenty to do here. Never a dull moment, and if nothing else, I can always find a quiet spot to relax and enjoy my favorite pastime, reading.

Anyway, its with pleasant surprise that I find myself in the mood for gardening. In a shady flower bed area I planted pansies (my favorite), violas, and lobelia. Hopefully, the dogs and cats won't traipse around in there and break off the flowers. My perennials are shooting up now that the days are sunny and warm. Coneflowers, black-eyed susans, bleeding hearts, hostas, asters, phlox. Perennials are great.....they grow themselves!

After hoeing the garden up good, I planted eight tomato plants. Four Early Girl and four Better Boy. Those varieties have been around forever......I remember my mom planting them. Also, I put in four hills of pumpkins for fall decorating. For the past few years I've purchased pumpkins, so hopefully this year I won't have to do that. I planted one hill of cucumber, called "armenian". Its supposed to be crispy and not bitter. We'll see. Also, I put in gladiolas, marigolds and zinnias.

As I hoed and planted and watered, my mind wandered back through the years, to the memories of people who were "planters" of many types. My long-gone great-uncle, who never had the privilege of being a parent, but always had a huge, gorgeous garden. There are lovely lilac bushes in my yard, thanks to him. He had emigrated from Germany along with his parents when he was three years old. When I was a little kid, with big ears, like kids usually have, I heard my mom say that Uncle didn't "believe in miracles". I pondered a long time about that, and wasn't sure what to make of it. He didn't go to church.....maybe he was an atheist.....I don't know. He sure had nice gardens, though.

My grandpa showed me how to plant garden seeds and plants. Flower seeds and tiny, fine seeds (like lettuce) in wide shallow rows. Peas and green bean seeds one by one in deeper rows since they are bigger seeds. The holes for the tomato, cabbage, and pepper plants need to have some water put in them first, then the plant can go in. Press the dirt firmly around them and make a circle around them. There would be our handprints in the dirt. Grampy died when I was nine and I still miss him. He planted not only garden plants, but also love.

May we all take time to remember and appreciate those who have planted seeds of faith, hope, and love in our lives.

Angelus & Amazing Grace!

It seems spring has finally arrived just today! And so have the barn swallows who swoop through our dairy barn and build mud nests on the rafters. Husband says they are already busy repairing the nests with fresh mud. What amazing creatures!

The week started cold and rainy, but by today the warmth of the sun seems to have overtaken the unspringlike weather pattern we've been in. That's good, because my perennials have been but timidly peeking out of their winter hiding places; they need the encouragement of warm sunshine in order to fully reveal themselves.

I mustn't sit here too long, but the following incident which took place last Friday is worth recording. I love it when cool little things like this happen! (First let me say that for several years I have had it in my mind to try and find a copy of the painting "Angelus" to hang in our living room. Not long ago I almost ordered a $40 copy of it from a catalog.) Anyway, on Friday evening, my high school freshman son asked if I would take him and a vanload of his friends to a neighboring town for a movie and bowling. I willingly agreed to do so, because it gives me a chance to get better acquainted with the friends he hangs out with. In another year or so, they will all be driving on their own, and I will no longer be asked to accompany them.


Anyway, when we arrived at the movie theater, we found that we were about 30 minutes early. The kids (4 boys and 2 girls) spied the Goodwill Store across the street, and decided to look around in there. I tagged along and browsed amongst the shelves of glassware and knicknacks, trying also to stay aware of the kids, to make sure they didn't get too noisy or goofy. You know how a group of young teenagers can be. My son and another boy found bowling balls to purchase for $1 each. I had spied a nice votive holder for 50 cents, and proceeded to the checkout counter. While handing over my two quarters, something on the floor behind the clerk caught my eye.......it was two matching "Angelus" prints, oval, in metal filigree frames, the praying man in one, and the woman in the other. I immediately pointed at them and asked, "Are they for sale?" They were, and very inexpensively, too, so I became the proud owner of half an "Angelus". Why, thank you, Lord, I thought, for that little miracle, or serendipity, or synchronicity.......whatever best describes an experience like that.

Across the street, at the theater, another minor miracle awaited......one of the two movies listed on the marquee was one that I actually had wanted to see, but I didn't think it was around in theaters anymore. It was "Amazing Grace", the film about William Wilberforce, the Englishman who in the late 1700's had been instrumental in ending the slave trade. The Parliament scenes were fascinating, with all the fervent debate and powdered wigs. I noticed that Patricia Heaton was named as one of the producers.....I think she had played Ray's wife on the sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond". I once read an article about her Christian convictions, so it was good to see that she had been involved in the making of "Amazing Grace". This movie was named for that famous hymn written by John Newton, who was part of the story in the film. He had formerly been a slave trader, who after his conversion to Christianity, was full of regret over all the suffering he had caused. He lamented that that he felt as if he lived surrounded by 20,000 ghosts of the slaves he had so horridly transported across the Atlantic Ocean on his ships. He served as an inspiration for William Wilberforce's obsession with halting the slave trade. And then the way they finally accomplished that was amazing......Amazing Grace, I guess!

Now back to the "Angelus" painting for a moment. It was done in 1859 by a French artist, Jean Francois Millet. It depicts workers in a field standing with their heads bowed and hands folded in prayer. Way in the background is a church steeple. Evidently, the church bells had pealed to signal that it was time to pray the "Angelus", a prayer which was said three times a day. This picture is moving and inspiring to me, as it shows everyday people stopping in the middle of their everyday lives to pray.

Seeding Oats Fit For Ceres

It's cool and windy, but sunny today. This morning I spent pushing my big Rubbermaid cart around the lawn, gathering up stray branches and corn husks that keep blowing in from the fields. I haven't mowed the grass yet----that can wait until next week when hopefully the days will be warmer. I've been fighting a raw throat and cough for almost three weeks. The doctor did a strep test which was negative, and told me to take allergy medicine and be patient. Great. I've been trying to stay warm and get enough rest, but I feel like a microwave oven whose power level has been lowered from 10 to around 6. The normal energy is just not there, and I feel achy and chilly in the evenings.

On Tuesday, Husband seeded oats. He uses a grain drill which plants the oats and alfalfa seed into the ground in close-knit rows. When I was a kid we planted oats by "sowing" them from a sowing apparatus attached to the back end of a flare-box wagon. It threw the seeds out, broadcasting them onto the top of the ground. My sister and I would ride in the wagon and keep the hoppers filled with oats and grass seed. I can still hear the sound of the sower chains starting up as we headed across the field. The wagon would jerk ahead and we would fall backwards into the pile of oats which would cushion us during the bumpy ride. Probably no farmers, except maybe the Amish, use an oat sower like that anymore. Actually, not many farmers plant oats, period. We do because Husband uses oats in livestock feed, plus we make straw bales every summer for livestock bedding.

On a calendar website that I look at everyday, it said that today is the last day of the ancient Roman celebration of "Cerealia", in honor of Ceres. She was the goddess of grain plants and motherly love. She was depicted in art with a sceptre, a basket of flowers and fruit, and wearing a garland made of wheat ears.
Also, the Romans used an expression, "fit for Ceres", which meant splendid.

May everyone's day today be "fit for Ceres"!

Gentle Whirlwind

Such a dismal, cold day in April......the two just don't fit together......April and cold/dismal. But, here we are in the midst of the misfit day, anyway.

After calf chores this morning, I helped Husband round up two steers to load on the trailer. They were an obstinate duo, unwilling to go through a wide open gate! The two big brutes would gallop up to it, and then whip around and go back the wrong way......right toward cowardly me. Being no match for them in size, I quickly clambered up and sat on top of a panel gate and stayed out of their way. I waved my arms and shouted as needed, and finally one of the steers found his way through the open gate and the other one quickly followed. Surprisingly, after their initial stubbornness, they went through the barn and onto the trailer without incident.

After Husband left, I started laundry, grabbed a cup of coffee and turned on the computer. The Church Year Calendar on the wall informed me that today is the day to remember the biblical Prophetess Huldah. So I quickly Googled her to see what I could learn. Huldah is mentioned in II Kings 22. King Josiah was having the "house of the Lord" renovated, during which was discovered an old "book of the Law". King Josiah, who wished to obey God, wanted to know more about the book. He ordered five of his advisors to "Go, inquire of the Lord for me, for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book.....". (My Bible's notes say that "inquire" is a technical term for divining or seeking an oracle from God.) So they went to consult with the Prophetess Huldah, who spoke the oracle of the Lord to them. Is it odd that they would seek out a woman to speak the Word of the Lord to them?

It's too cold to take a walk today. Maybe I'll just run up and down the steps here in the house for exercise. Yesterday, when I headed out to walk, I wondered if anything unusual would come my way. It's fun to be attentive out in nature.....not for divining reasons, but just because it can be very thought-provoking. And I was not disappointed. While walking along our long farm driveway, I heard a rustling in the cornfield to my right. I glanced over, figuring it was a bunch of birds on the ground. Instead, there was one of those little whirlwinds coming at me, sending loose cornstalk residue and dust swirling up into the air. Like a tornado in its embryonic stage. Soon I was enveloped in the gently whirling, swirling air and bits of debris. The mysterious phenomenon then continued on across the driveway and into a hayfield, creating short-lived circle motifs in the alfalfa as it moved along. I shivered, thinking about how things in life can be like that whirlwind. A situation, or a person, comes whirling into your path, and you are touched by the ensuing disturbance of your territory. The effect may be temporary, as with the harmless little whirlwind, or more lasting, depending on the speed and strength of the wind. Anyway, something to think about......complements of nature.

If on your path today you encounter a whirlwind.......may it be a gentle one!

Help From Mother-in-law

The weather remains cold and windy. If good for nothing else, at least the cold temperatures cause the fields to stay solid enough for all-day manure-hauling. Husband has our son busy hauling manure out of the pit by the barn. It's good to be able to get that job done before spring fieldwork.

I'm trying to keep the house warm by baking cookies this afternoon. Daughter is giving her bedroom a thorough cleaning, which it definitely needs. In between cookie batches, I've been looking for some recipes to use for Easter dinner tomorrow. Ham balls are one dish I want to make, but locating a recipe was proving difficult. Finally, I opened a cookbook which I inherited from my mother-in-law, who passed away 13 years ago. Normally, I don't use it......not sure why. Anyway, the first page it opened to contained a piece of notepaper on which was a recipe for Ham Balls, handwritten by my mother-in-law. Just what I was looking for! When Husband came in for lunch, I startled him by saying that his mother had paid me a visit. Actually......I think maybe she did.

Blessings on this Easter Saturday!

Grouchy Clouds and Comments

Br-r! This morning started with a hint of sunny warmth after a stormy night, but that was quickly overtaken by grouchy gray clouds and a very strong northwest wind. You better believe I put the flannel sheets back on the bed! There is even snow in the forecast, to contrast with the thunderstorm last night. I was awakened several times by amazingly bright flashes of lightning. We don't have a rain gauge in place yet this spring, but a neighbor mentioned today that he had two inches in his.

Husband sent me to town to get a new tire for the skid loader. While that was being mounted, I shopped for groceries. It didn't take long to gather a heaping cart-full of items. The bags pretty much filled the seat and floor on the passenger side of the pickup. Then back at home, it was a marathon of sack-carrying and putting away all the groceries. I was ready to sit and rest awhile after that was done.

Today I was thinking about Sunday's church service and our church's situation. Last Sunday was Palm Sunday, which is also Confirmation Sunday in our Lutheran Church. Usually, the fact that it is Palm Sunday is hardly mentioned, but this time Pastor did read John 12:12-19 before the service started. What perplexed me though, was that the Gospel reading before the sermon was the whole chapter 23 of Luke, which relates what took place on the day Jesus was crucified. Why doesn't that get saved for Good Friday? Plus, Pastor didn't preach at all on the Gospel reading he had just read. Instead, he spoke to the Confirmands, lamenting that often Confirmation is viewed as a "graduation" of sorts, and that afterwards the kids don't show up often in church. I thought that was a bit off target. For one thing, kids that get confirmed are only 14 years old, and should have several more years of being under their parents guiding influence to get to church services and events. I wished he would have emphasized that important role that parents have. And then he went on to criticize "church growth" proponents who want to plan fun activities to keep the teenagers interested in church. Whew, I was relieved to hear he would keep our church away from that sort of undesirable rut.

Our youth group activities have dwindled to practically nothing. When I joined this Lutheran church many years ago, it had an active, thriving youth group. They had regular meetings and Bible studies. The pastor at that time, and his wife, were the leaders. One of the annual traditions for the youth was to put on the Easter sunrise service. That tradition ended when this new young orthodox pastor arrived. He evidently believes it improper for anyone other than himself to be involved in leading a church service, even though a regular 10 a.m. Divine Service would follow the sunrise service. Anyway, Pastor hijacked the sunrise service from the youth group, and so now we have only one Easter morning service, sort of a combination sunrise/regular service. But it is at 7:30 a.m., which is way too early for dairy farmers, so Husband can't even attend church on Easter now. I could get my calf chores done early and go to the service, but I'm not going to. Why should I go when Husband can't go. The whole thing irks me. I feel the pastor focuses way too much on doctrine and properness. They must learn that at seminary.

Well, enough of my complaining. I need to tend to supper which is bubbling in the oven and on the stove. The wind howls outside, but it is warm here in the house.

Trying To Keep Up

Another Monday......I started the day with good intentions to get many things done. After morning calf and barn chores, my progress stalled as I sat down to prepare three confirmation cards and a sympathy card for sending. Tears came as I signed the sympathy card to be sent to a local couple whose 15-year-old granddaughter had succombed after a long, courageous battle with cancer. Her photo was in yesterday's newspaper-----a beautiful girl with a happy smile on her face. Seeing her reminded me of my own children and how heart-rending it would be to lose one.

My next task was vacuuming ladybugs. Several east windows in our house are crawling with scores of the annoying little creatures. Yesterday's very warm weather seems to have coaxed them out of all the crannies they dwell in around the windows. They are actually some sort of asian soybean beetle which has taken up residence in Iowa the last few years. Probably they were imported somehow in foreign grain. Its a good thing they are basically benign-----they don't bite or sting, they just are numerous and they do produce a yucky smell if you squash them. So I avoid doing that. Once, I accidently chewed one along with some popcorn-----they taste just as bad as they smell!

Before I knew it, it was lunchtime. Husband and I dined out on our screened porch for the first time this season. Blackbirds in the pine trees were squawking and squeaking and whistling-----I always wonder what they are saying to each other. After lunch, Husband wanted a haircut, so I trimmed his hair out on the lawn. I, of the fine, mousy hair persuasion, have always been jealous of his thick, wavy tresses. Its easy to give him a haircut, you can cut anywhere, any way, and it seems to look OK. We had quite a laugh over his crop of ear hair! What can its purpose possibly be?

Back in the house, there awaited a huge pile of Daughter's clean laundry to be folded. Yesterday I kept urging her to please "keep up with your laundry and dryer loads", but she left a couple loads undried anyway. So I'm being nice and folding them for her, to get them out of my way.

On the email front, my brother has been sending me forwards concerning some gay rights law being debated at the statehouse. He gets so worried about that sort of thing-----that the world is going to pot, and feels we Christians should get fired up in opposition and write to our legislators. He and his wife do homeschooling because they think their kids would get corrupted in the public school system. I have argued with him about that----I think his kids would be just fine in public school. In fact, I think his oldest son is becoming too much of a kingpin, and would benefit from the classroom social setting, where he would have to learn to be patient, and take his turn, and be respectful of others. But, what do I know. I sent my brother a long email, however, presenting my opinions on the gay rights thing. I told him that I doubt the world is actually much worse than it has ever been. We're over-informed about all the bad stuff and everyone is so open and in-your-face about everything these days,too. Homosexuality, abortion, etc., have been around forever, and always will be, as long as there are humans. I told him basically to chill out on that stuff at this point in his life, and just focus on loving and providing for his family and teaching them the Christian way of life. We'll see how he responds!

So goes another Monday. I have no idea how women that have off-the-farm jobs can possible keep up with things at home. I'm home all the time and I can't keep up! I dread the lawn starting to grow, because that means countless hours spent mowing lawn. Already, weeds are poking up wherever they possibly can. One bright spot, though, is our patch of purple crocuses blooming near the barn door. They are lovely! I should join the modern age and acquire a digital camera so I could include photos on my blog.

Best wishes to everyone trying to "keep up"!

Birds, a Book, and Old Friends

We've been blessed with another windy March day. Unlike yesterday's westerly winds, today's are from the south, giving me an opportunity to burn the brush pile north of the house. All morning I picked up piles of leaves and sticks and carted them to the struggling fire which I had to restart several times with newspaper. But it was a lovely morning to be out, once I got moving fast enough to keep warm. Birds in the treetops kept me company with their chatter and songs. Robins, blackbirds, sparrows, juncos, and once in a while a crow, made themselves known. Later, on my walk to the mailbox, I saw a pair of unfamiliar birds----they looked similar to the killdeer which are numerous in our fields, but were a bit smaller----so I looked for them in the bird book when I got back to the house. Possibly they were "semipalmated plovers", making an early spring stop here on the way to their breeding grounds in Alaska and northern Canada. They have a long way to go yet. Wouldn't it be fun to join them!

This afternoon the wind has really picked up and I am glad to be in the house. The weather forecast is rain for tonight and tomorrow, possibly quite a bit of it.

During my time outdoors this morning, I was thinking about my blog post of yesterday. I had mentioned the importance of walking for a certain length of time to get the best mood benefits. I then remembered about a book I had read several years ago during the time when I started the regular walking habit. The intriguing title of it had jumped off the shelf at me at Barnes & Noble.....The Art of Laziness!! I no longer have the book, as I gave it to a pastor who had told me that his wife was tired and achy alot of the time. I don't remember the authors' names, but they were German physicians, a father and daughter. In the book, they were focusing on the importance of getting enough rest, because each of us has been given a finite amount of energy to use during our lifetimes. They weren't actually advocating laziness, of course, just slowing down, resting more, and reducing stress on our systems, in order to use our energy wisely. They recommended a daily 30 minute brisk walk, if possible, and they felt that the perfect time to get up in the morning is 7:20 a.m. For some reason, I remember that specifically. I would recommend the book to anyone, because I felt it contained helpful, practical, common sense advice.

This evening I'm meeting a couple old girlfriends for supper and chatting. We've known each other since kindergarten. There's something special about friendships that endure that long, and I feel fortunate to be in the vicinity of a few such friends. Husbands and children are wonderful, but old girlfriends are a treasure, too.

Keep in touch with an old friend today!