Tribute to Irma

My neighbor Irma passed away last year after a short time in an extended care facility.  She lived in the house across the street.  Irma taught me that you could keep geraniums over the winter by letting them dry out and replanting or simply watering in the spring.

When she went into care last year, I took care of her flower boxes and the potted geraniums on her front steps. She never got to come home.  I decided to keep her two potted geraniums over the winter with the intention of taking them to her grave in the spring.

They both survived the winter. I repotted them into larger pots and have decided to keep them as a remembrance and tribute to Irma. They are both blooming.  This one shown has reached full bloom with beautiful creamy-pink flowers.  Thank you, Irma, I miss you.

Once Upon A Mattress or The Princess And The Pea

Cannot explain Uno's brain.

 

Weighed down

The apples on the apple tree are weighing the branches down down down.  One branch has already broken. I hope the really long branch on the right holds. It started the season pointing straight up.
The branches are being supported by the old roots saved from my Norway maple tree a few years ago.

 

Update...September 1....found a branch so weighed down with apples that it had broken off but was still stuck in the tree.

 

Giant garden morh (UPDATED)

I thought it was a hummingbird it was so big and hovered and flew like one. Not until I was able to look at the pictures could I tell it was a really big and colorful moth. UPDATE -- I have since found out that the moth is called a sphinx moth.

Spring Green, Wisconsin

Bernstad's Pub, Tomah

Another 'funtastic' road trip to Spring Green, Wisconsin.  There were 10 adventurers this year. A bigger group than we have had in a while.  We left the Twin Cities around 10am Friday and made our usual stop at Bernstad's in Tomah.  We caused quite a stir when we played a version of musical chairs to taste-test everyone's desserts.




Sam and Maddie's in Dodgeville

We stayed in Dodgeville this year.  There weren't enough rooms at a usual place in Spring Green.  For dinner we went to Sam and Maddie's at the Don Q Inn.



Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesen

Some in the group were going to have to leave super early on Sunday so we decided to have breakfast at The Shed in Spring Green on Saturday morning.  This is another of our usual stops. 

The Shed, Spring Green

A big group event this year was to tour Taliesen, the amazing home of Frank Lloyd Wright in Spring Green. We had a great tour guide and a beautiful day. The group split up after the Taliesen tour. Some of us returned to Spring Green to shop. Some went to New Glarus to tour a local craft brewery.

Picnic at American Players Theatre

The American Players Theatre show this year was Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. It was very funny and interesting though some didn't care for it.

Jeff (wig from thrift store) and Amy

The original entrance to Taliesen

Jenny B's big success

My friend Jenny competed in her first mini-sprint triathlon.  A mini-spring triathlon consists of a 500 yard open water swim, a 15.5 mile bike race and a 5k (3.2 miles) run.  She has been training for several weeks.

The event was sponsored by the YWCA of Minneapolis.   There were 2,000 women competitors.  I am so proud of her accomplishment and success.

Jenny getting a well-deserved hug from her husband Andrew.

Getting ready to cross the final finish line.

 

Twins 15 5k

This month's Running For Brunch 5k was the Twins 15 5K.  The "15" is Glen Perkins' jersey number. He is the Twins closing pitcher and sponsors this 5k to support research on cystic fibrosis.

It was a beautiful day as you can see from this pictures.  We all had on Twins' gear and got to run onto the track on Target Field.  Many of the players then handed out the medals in Target Field Plaza.

Start at porta-potties over by Gold Medal Park

Finish at Twins stadium, Target Field

And at the game...Twins vs White Sox

Me on the field/finish line.

Home decoration project

This project started with my purchase of a old little book in a Paris flea market. The book was about bugs and plants...written in French with beautifully illustrated pictures. I wanted to display them together and originally thought of matching frames. That could have been expensive and would require the right wall space. So I came up with this project. I had the bi-fold doors from my upstairs bathroom remodel. I used the paint I purchased for the upstairs molding. The large format envelops came to me at Papersource - s store just 3 blocks from my house with a variety of paper products.

Starting off as bi-fold doors

Painted and felt feet and felt wall guards added.

8-11 envelope

pictures mounted on envelope and inserted in shutter slots

close-up of picture

close-up of picture

Perfect little apple

This apple fell from the tree with its little leaf still attached.

And then there were none

The squirrels have harvested all the acorns. I don't see even one on Mr. Burr. There are lots of leaves and acorn shells.on the ground all around the yard.

Bike to work

Rode my bike to and from work for the first time. The ride to work was fairly easy. Most of the ride is on Bryant Avenue which is a bike-dedicated street. I went over to Nicollet Avenue to get the office but the buses and cross traffic are particularly bad. Next time I will take an alternate route. I did make it to work faster than taking the bus.

After work I went to an event at Mill City Museum It is a few blocks from work on the Mississippi River. So my ride home was up Portland Avenue in the bike lane then over to Loring Park and back up Bryant. The key word about going home is the "up" part. Uptown is definitely up hill from downtown and the river.

Home to work

Downtown to home (Uptown)

Twins baseball

Attending the Twins versus Cleveland Indians game at Target Field with Allison. I won't jinx the game by saying what the score is.  The game is still on.

I am happy to report the Twins won!

Home office

The view from my home office desk. I love watching the flag waving in the breeze.

Uptown and other art fairs

Last weekend was art fair weekend in Minneapolis. The Uptown Art Fair was in its 50th rendition.  The Loring Park and Powderhorn Park art fairs are generally a bit more funky. 

Stephen and I started at the Loring Park. There were some nice metal sculptures that were tempting.  We then biked to Powderhorn Park.  Definitely more funky here.  We had a very good conversation with Don Samuels who is running for mayor of Minneapolis.

Then we biked to Uptown. This is the big boy of art fairs.  Many of the same artists/dealers come to this one each year.  There were metal sculptures by S.W.Huffman that were very tempting.  I ended up not buying anything but had a good time looking and with Stephen.

Where's Jeffery?

BWCA full moon silhouette

There was a beautiful full moon while we were in the Boundary Waters.  The reflection off the lake made this silhouette.

Summer storms

Stopped on my evening run around Lake Calhoun to snap this photo of the storm approaching Minneapolis.  It did indeed storm. I had made it home and in to the gym before the downpour.

Mr. Burr's fuzzy acorns

I post a lit about my backyard and my oak tree in particular because it is an important part of my home and therefore my life.

Mr. Burr Oak has some pretty big ans fuzzy acorns this year.

Iowa 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling.Bee

Amy and I made a road trip to Iowa to see Michael and Megan and Michael's production of above title play. It was great fun.

Before meeting Michael and Megan for lunch on Saturday, Amy and I went to the Czech-Slovak Museum in Cedar Rapids. There was a fabulous exhibit of Madeleine Albright's pins that she collected and wore as Secretary of State. The museum is in the Cedar Rapid's Czech Village. The mural behind us greets you as you enter the village.

Another use for lilac shoots

I keep my lilacs trimmed to look like small trees. That means I prune out all the baby shoots that grow each year. These shoots are generally straight and strong.

These Lady Bells get long and leggy. I created an instant fence with the lilac shoots.