Airport Scenes

It’s 11:11 p.m. and I remain keyed up from the big day of taking my daughter to the Minneapolis airport, so here’s a few scenes from there.  A drippy day it was, as you can see in the above photo as we approached Lindbergh Terminal.

First stop was to swipe a credit card to pay for short-term parking.

Once we found our way through the parking ramp and up and down steps and escalators in the terminal, it was time to check in.  Before leaving home, we had asked, “Do you have your passport?”, about 100 times.

There was about a half hour’s worth of time to spare before Daughter needed to be in the security line.  We took in the sights of the terminal, including arrival/departure boards and the weather map.  As you can see, a wide band of showers and clouds lay over the upper Midwest and Plains.  Thankfully, there was no lightning or wind in the Minneapolis area.

Daughter was pleased to see her flight to Amsterdam was running on time as scheduled.  There were only a handful of other international flights on the Delta/Northwest boards……to Tokyo, Singapore, Paris, and destinations in Canada.

Well, the time has come…….we must leave Daughter on her own in the security line.  Unfortunately, after 9/11, family and visitors are not allowed to accompany the traveler to the departure gate.  When my older daughter flew to Amsterdam in late August of 2001, we were able see her board the plane and watch it take off.  A little over 2 weeks later, the awful events of 9/11 took place.  You better believe I was one very nervous mother for awhile, wondering if planes would ever fly safely again.

Oh-h…..good-byes are always hard.  Even Grandma was there to provide a hug.  Her presence was reassuring as she’s flown overseas several times in the past few years.  She admits its not her favorite thing to do, however.

Back to the parking ramp we trotted……

And, emerged once more into the soggy reality of the day.  With one more swipe of the credit card to finalize the parking payment, we were on our way……..

We weren’t headed in the direction of home quite yet, though.  After a short discussion, we decided to go to ___ of ________.  As if you can’t figure that one out.  Photos from there will be in the next post……

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(Its now 11:42 p.m.  My daughter’s plane was set to land in Amsterdam at 6:30 a.m……that’s 11:30 p.m. CST.  If all has gone well, she should be back on terra firma again by now.  I wonder if she got any sleep during the flight?  She’ll be one tired girl tomorrow/today.  We don’t expect to her to be able to contact us for another day or so.  Its a case of “no news is good news”, I guess.)

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Blogging From "The Cities"

A quick post from "The Cities".......(Minneapolis/St. Paul area). I'm sitting in the hotel in Eagan, Minnesota, just before heading to the airport which is not far from here. The day is chilly and rainy. I hope the weather is pleasant where you are. Have a great weekend!!

Choppin O’ The Hay

Hey, we chopped hay today….

Conveying it to the silo to stay….

Our son drives wagons back and forth from the field where Husband is driving the tractor pulling the chopper.  The chopped hay is unloaded into a hopper which augers it into the blower which forces the hay up a tube into the top of the silo.  Its a VERY noisy process.

I spent the afternoon digging in the dirt, planting and weeding, hoping the sunshine would improve my outlook on life…..and, I believe it did.

The next couple days will involve taking my daughter to Minneapolis to catch her flight to Germany.  The packing is all done; her older sister kindly came home yesterday to offer experienced assistance with that.

My stomach remains somewhat tied up in knots, though sleeping was improved last night, thankfully.  Being able to sleep helps immensely, and I know I’ll feel better once I hear my daughter has arrived safely at her destination.  The bad thing is she may not be able to contact us for a few days.

I’ve been a poor excuse for a blogger lately.  I’ve not kept up with blogger friends’ posts during the last week and I’m sorry about that.  It has somehow been impossible to sit down at the computer for any length of time…..restlessness has had the upper hand.  DON’T ALLOW YOURSELF TO GET LIKE THAT!

I hope to catch some photos on the trip north.  It will be good to get away for a short time……I wish it could be longer.  Take care and God bless!!

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SkyWatch #47

Welcome to this Sky Watch Friday post! There have been beautiful sunsets lately here in Iowa. This one was two nights ago, I believe.

Don’t forget……always turn around to see what the opposite sky view is:

Please visit Skyley.com to find a multitude of beautiful SkyWatch links for this week.

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(Mr. Linky doesn't seem to be working on the SW site, so this post isn't on the list yet.)

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Back in the Blogging Saddle

“Aw, get outta here with any of them saddle ideas”, she snorts. “I ain’t the type to tolerate such a contraption……no sirree!”

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Have no fear, that’s just one of my neighbor’s Brown Swiss cows taking a glare at you. Behind her are cornfields to give you an idea of how they look right now. I finally took the camera along again this morning though I almost had to force myself to do it. Don’t know why, but am feeling very out-of-sorts this week. Walking, cooking, chores, are difficult.....heavy slow-motion is my speed these days. Mostly, I want to be down on the ground, in the dirt, pulling weeds, and I've done quite a bit of that the past few days. My sleeping is way off-kilter; due to churning thoughts I've been unable to fall asleep…..and after a few days of that one’s whole being is affected. Now, I feel as though I’m operating from inside a trance and though I feel only half-awake, the rather intriguing side-effect is that the world seems almost enchanted. Maybe this is the state of mind where fairy tales originated; maybe we should be thankful for insomnia once in awhile……or Once Upon A Time……

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Well, once upon a time in an ancient myth, the goddess Venus was grieving the death of her beloved Adonis and wherever her teardrops fell, Anemones sprang up. And, by Jove or Zeus, it looks like she must have shed some tears in our roadside ditch…..

Anemones are members of the Buttercup family. Yes, I believe I see the resemblance…….

This is the absolute truth……I had never seen this boundary sign before today, so it must be newly-installed. I had to stare at for a few moments to figure out what it is demarcating……possibly the line between two townships. Usually that falls along a road, but not in this case, due to a creek being where a road would have been built in the traditional one-square-mile grid pattern.

As I type this, my son is cutting hay in the field near the house. The noise adds to my discontent and seems to scream: “Get moving and do some actual work, Lazy Woman!”

So I will try to rouse my acedic self and get some small thing accomplished. In Acedia and Me, Kathleen Norris states, …..when life becomes too challenging and engagement with others too demanding, acedia offers a kind of spiritual morphine. Yes, that may aptly describe how I feel right now. It is not something that anyone in my household understands, though, so I’m on my own……and mostly have to fake being enthusiastic about anything. I don’t expect anyone to understand…..the reality is we are each on our own path in life. You do what you can and you do what you must.

I’m ok, really……not contemplating anything rash, but am trying to glean whatever it is I’m supposed to learn from this experience. Kathleen Norris offers an ultimately encouraging quote from an ancient monk, Evagrius Ponticus, who calls acedia a demon. [Acedia] instills in the heart of the monk a hatred for the place, a hatred for his very life itself, a hatred for manual labor. [Acedia] leads him to believe that charity has departed from the brethren, that there is no one to give encouragement. [Acedia] brings before the mind’s eye the toil of the ascetic struggle and as the saying has it, leaves no stone unturned to induce the monk to forsake his cell and drop out of the fight. No other demon follows close upon the heels of this one (when he is defeated) but only a state of deep peace and inexpressible joy arise out of this struggle.

Maybe we moderns might call it “being burned out”. Anxiety is part of my problem right now, I’m quite sure of that. My daughter will be flying to Germany this weekend and she is VERY nervous and that is making me nervous. And, I just heard the unwelcome news that a Brazil-to-Paris flight crashed into the Atlantic yesterday, with over 200 souls on board. Why do I even check the news……that is a valid question. We’re better off not knowing certain things.

I know, I know……turn all anxieties over to prayer. That’s what I’m trying to do…..but…..acedia/torpor/sloth is also known as one of The Five Hindrances to Prayer. Golly…..did you know there was such an official list like that?? I didn’t. My goodness, what a person doesn’t learn from writing blogposts.

God’s blessings to you and thank you for all thoughts, prayers, and comments.

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Killdeer Nest

My husband found spotted this killdeer nest in a field near the barn.

I took a video of the mother killdeer feigning a broken wing to distract me into moving away from her precious nest. That's her instinctual response when she perceives danger.

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I may not blog for a few days. I'm just really busy and tired, that's all. Take care. (P.S. - I appreciate all your kind comments of the past few days and hope to respond to them soon.)

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Another Iris & A Guest

By yesterday morning, another type of Iris had opened, gaily tempting me to snap a photo of it in pristine condition, which won’t last long.  I dug this Iris up at my other grandmother’s house many years ago.

As I was walking away from the Iris……a buzzing critter whizzed by my ear.  I ducked, thinking it was a big bumble bee, but instead---to my delight---discovered it was a hummingbird!  Its a bit difficult to see, but the hummingbird is feeding on a bleeding heart to the right in this next photo.

Here’s a closer view:

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Have a great Sunday!

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Iris Moods

Its Iris season! I have mixed feelings about Iris….for they often look rather mixed up themselves! The above photo is shown sideways because the awkward blossom looks better that way, in my opinion. The gangly, fragile petals of large Iris blooms---these are 6” or more in length---tend to flop around every which way, as if struggling to find their proper positions in life.

Don’t come to the incorrect assumption that I know much about Iris. I do not. Here’s an anatomical diagram with parts labeled. I wondered what those veil-like coverings over the fuzzy parts are called……they are “style crests”, I believe. Large Iris are very fragrant…..these bluish-purple ones seem to have a grape-like scent.

Can’t say that I’ve ever looked this closely at an Iris before. These large ones came from my grandmother’s back yard years ago.

We also have a patch of much smaller (4” across) yellow/gold/dark red Iris which have been here since my husband was a kid, and probably before that, even. We shifted them to a new spot due to a remodeling project a few years ago and somehow they managed to survive. Lemony is how I would describe the scent of these particular Iris.

What color and type of Iris do you have in your yard?

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Have a pleasant Saturday!

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SkyWatch #46

Welcome! Haha……you were expecting skies over our Iowa farm, perhaps?! Surprise, surprise……my college daughter just got home from a whirlwind trip to Colorado! Even I did not know she had gone there!

The above photo is of Mills Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park……taken two days ago. And, the second photo is from somewhere in the Park, too.

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to visit Skyley.com to find the many other links.

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Pulling the Pump

I’ve heard of it, but never seen it done……pulling the pump out of the well, which became necessary late yesterday afternoon when our water faucets and livestock fountains suddenly ran dry!

The rust-covered pipe was pulled out in 20-ft. sections. 

A new pump and plastic piping was installed.  The whole process---from loss of water to its restoration---took several hours.  The cows had no water to drink during milking time and they were mighty thirsty by the time their drinking bowls filled back up again. 

Hmm……this will add a substantial bill to next month’s pile…..hooray for that.

In the midst of the pipe and pump removal, an oriole sweetly serenaded us from high in a maple tree…..

While I was trying to get a decent camera angle on the oriole, this red maple leaf meandered into the viewfinder.  The evening sun was hitting it just right to provide a surprising glow of red.

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Daughter’s Birthday

I love these little people; and it is not a slight thing when they, who are so fresh from God, love us.

----Charles Dickens

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Today is my eldest child’s 28th birthday! (Her "golden" birthday......28 on the 28th!) This photo is from around the time of her first birthday. She looks just like her dad in this picture.

And, this next photo was taken right on her birthday. Can you believe it……I made that dress she’s wearing! (Good grief.....see that bread bag in the background.....I used to save them!)

These last two photos were taken in the Twin Cities around the time of my 24th birthday in June. Daughter was beginning to master the fine art of balancing in order to walk on her own.

Here’s two weary ones---a mom and a thumbsucker---sitting at a Twins baseball game at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. (I recall my kids sucking their thumbs and rubbing their clothing or a blanket when they were tired.) That stadium was rather new then and the word now is that its to be torn down in the near future. Tsk, tsk. Seems like a waste.

Sure wish I could go back and spend a day with that little one-year-old girl again.....not to mention a return to being young and slim!

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Happy Birthday and God’s Blessings, Dear Daughter!!!

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Dirt Road Flower Finds

The dirt road pictured above is in my neighborhood. It isn’t difficult to envision a horse and buggy coming along, wooden wheels a-whirring and harnesses jingling, with dust flying from hooves pounding the dirt.

I wonder if buggy drivers ever pulled the reigns and hollered “WHOA, Nelly” because of a wildflower sighting? Perhaps the sunbonneted female occupants of the rig would point and exclaim, “Oh, let’s stop……please, pretty please!”

Well, a buggy was not my conveyance last Sunday, and no bonnet adorned my head, but I pressed my vehicle’s brake pedal.….WHOA…..when wildflowers caught my eye alongside this dirt road.

Initially, this very noticeable patch of Ragwort---senecio plattensis, a member of the Aster family---brought me to a halt.

“Squaw Weed” is another name for this plant, which reportedly was used by Native American women for female health matters. Early white settlers used Ragwort in folk remedies, even though it reportedly is poisonous to humans and livestock. Yikes……but it surely is a bright and showy spring wildflower, regardless.

Next we have Starry False Solomon’s Seal. It certainly looks like a real plant, though. Its stem and leafing look similar to true Solomon’s Seal; though the flowers are not alike at all. Evidently, true Solomon’s Seal got its name from early settlers who noticed a Star of David design left when the stem is broken off at the root. I’ll have to check that out sometime. I have noticed a tiny Star of David design up inside the dangling flowers of true Solomon’s Seal.

Meadow Anenome……used by native peoples for treating wounds.

The remaining photos in this post are of flowers I had never seen before. They’ve most likely been growing here along this dirt road for many, many years.

This first one is Yellow Star Grass. It looks like grass with a 3/4” wide yellow flower attached at the top……what a pleasant surprise to find this! When I was searching for Star Grass online I stumbled upon a nice photo taken by a professional nature photographer in my area.

Growing near the Star Grass was another tiny flower which again looked like grass topped by dainty flower blossom. This one, I believe, is a type of Blue-Eyed Grass. What a lovely name, though they are actually a member of the Iris family. My Runkel & Roosa flower book states: Although called Blue-Eyed Grass, the color can vary from white to pale blue to darker blue. These seemed to have a very pale blue tone.

There were a few patches which looked truly white……

Here’s another tiny yellow flower that I almost overlooked, thinking it was Star Grass. I’m not sure what it is……its not in any of my wildflower books. It sort of resembles a Cinquefoil, which have five-petaled blossoms…..but this one has six. Whatever its name may be, its a darling little flower, that’s for sure.

In these final two flower photos, we have Dewberry…..at least I think that’s what it might be.

Sorry……I don’t have a macro lens…..

One end of the mile-long dirt road was rather rutty. Local yokels who are thus inclined sometimes use this tired old dirt road for “mudding”. My husband’s nephew took a couple of our kids along for such a ride here several years ago……his pickup was coated with mud when they returned. Great fun, yeah!

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Have a great day!

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Memorial Day Leftovers

There are more wildflower photos to post, but I’m too tired for that and didn’t find the time on Memorial Day to look up info in the flower books, anyway. Most of the day was spent mowing lawn, planting garden, fixing meals, catching up on laundry. Don’t fret, I didn’t work THAT hard---but found little time to sit at the computer, that’s all, plus I’m worn out from spending most of the last three days outdoors in the sun and wind. Must be getting old…..er. Most of all, I’d would love to sit down and read a book, but can’t seem to fit that in, either.

The above photo was taken on Sunday night. My husband’s parents are buried next to that old church. One would expect it to be a peaceful, quiet place, but it really is not, because it sits practically on top of a very busy highway. In fact, a person was killed on Saturday in a traffic accident right in front of this church, in a head-on collision of a car and semi-truck. Seeing the black tire marks on the pavement gave me the shivers.

This next photo shows a nice idea I’d not seen done before…….laminated family photos strung around a gravestone.

Recently, while using old census records to do research on my husband’s family tree, we discovered that his grandfather had a sister who died in 1907 at the age of three. Her name was Lucinda. None of the older folks had ever mentioned her. After examining the cemetery map in the church basement we were able to determine the location of her grave in one of the childrens’ rows, though no marker is there.

I might possibly know why this child was never mentioned. My father-in-law told me once that the great-grandparents “had to get married”…….which was somewhat of a scandal back in the early 1900’s. (And, to keep things balanced here: one of MY grandmothers was conceived out-of-wedlock, too. People have always been human, evidently.) Anyhow, I was rather mystified by the information/gossip that my FIL had told me because in family records the first child was listed as being born several years after the great-grandparents married. Finding evidence of this little girl solves that particular mystery. The couple ended up with two sons and no more daughters.

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I don’t know about you, but I’ve had enough of cemeteries for awhile. They’re starting to get me down.

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Have a great day!

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