Remembering

The Luck School put on a very nice Memorial Day program for the community.  The band played a selection of patriotic songs which were wonderful.  My favorite part of the program was a scrolling slide show of the names of local veterans and the cemetery where they rest.  It was touching to see the names of so many men and women who I had known through my life, some I knew to be veterans and others I did not.  Of course seeing Dad's name and Gus's name was very emotional.  

The Badger Boy and the Badger Girl gave an excellent speech recognizing the depth of the nation's gratitude to those who died in service to our country.

After the ceremony, I was invited to join Lois and family for breakfast.

Kyle, Larry, Aaron, Angie, Emily, Gage, Ivan, Jens, Ruby with August, Megan, Stella, Jack, Lois, Lois Skow with Jude, Heather

It was a very nice way to spend the morning.

I stopped at the cemetery after and then headed towards home.

After a brief stop at Big Moon Lake to see what Glenn and Kathy were up to, I left for Rice Lake.

Along the way, one of my friends has a lupine display that she had told me was in bloom.

She has been bringing lupine seeds home from her cabin in Canada, and right now they are blooming like crazy.  I took a few beauty shots for her.

What a pretty display of lupine.

I got home in time to sit on the deck, listen to the wrens discussing which house to live in and I enjoyed a cold Coors Light.

Check

I ran up to the Sandcastle today to check on things.  There is a problem with the elbow off the wood stove.  It rusted, so I wanted to be sure there was not open access to the wildlife in the area.

I'll post more photos later, but on the way home I was delighted to catch this complete rainbow & double, with a panoramic photo with my cellphone.

Amazing.

Glad I went to check on things Up North.

Forecast

The forecast for the weekend in Wisconsin is rain and maybe some storms worth paying attention too.  We need the moisture so I'm glad for that, but it's never the best deal when it rains over a holiday weekend.  Heading to the cemetery to pay respects in a downpour just doesn't appeal.  I'm glad I got over to Luck with flowers for Dad & Ev's bench last week.

I read that Memorial Day was established to honor those who lost their lives in service to our country, I guess it has also grown to include anyone we have lost from our lives.

And I think that is a good thing.

With the rain and the warm temperatures, my yard is starting to bloom.

Some of the early varieties of peony are really stunning right now.

These delicate flowers won't stand up to a hard rain, but they sure are pretty right now.

Lucky for me, there are many more buds in waiting their turn to bloom.

I'm pleased with my progress to make a Danish Flower Garden by my front door.

Sadly, the daffodils are all done, but the lupine are in bloom and the hops are climbing to the clouds.

I planted Frederikke's flowering beans in the large 'fishtank' to the right, so hopefully they will have a good year and be in a spot where I can enjoy seeing them daily.

I'm forecasting an good summer.

Winter

Winter is a big deal in Wisconsin, not just the season, but the town as well.

This little town has an astronaut on the International Space Station right now and is home to one of the largest greenhouses I have ever visited.

On Monday, a group of folks from the Cameron Area Senior Citizens 

rode a bus to Winter to shop for plants.  

I drove up separately for a number of reasons and in the end, it turned out to be a very good plan.

I think there are 6 or 7 large greenhouses filled with plants for sale and another couple for plants in the growing process.  The catalog from Winter is better than any I've ever seen and is available on their website:  http://www.wintergreenhouse.com/, check it out.

Carolyn Crotteau, Secretary of the CASC group

Shopping

Shopping

Marge

Carol, Madam Vice President

Taking a break

Carolyne and her daughter

Resting in the shade

Carol and Mary

Ardis and Jeannie

Sit a spell

Greenhouses

Carol and Mary

Gathering up the purchases

Woodland Phlox

Loading up the bus

By the time everyone was done shopping, there were lots of plants to get home.

I loaded my car full, every nook and cranny, I barely had room for my purse.

The back of the bus was also loaded, 3 big trees even made the trip home.

I headed home and planted my purchases, the bus made a stop for lunch and then I met everyone back at the Senior Center to transfer the plants to the owners.

It was a perfect day for a trip to Winter, it's about 80 miles away, but Wisconsin is so green right now, the miles were easy ones.

The last time I was in the town of Winter was for a basketball game, and then is was really

Winter in Winter.

Close Encounters

Last night, there was a near miss on the front porch.

Now it is settled, no more food in the shelter until the raccoon quite coming around.

Omaha in the shelter, and here comes a raccoon to nose around.

Omaha is peeking out as this raccoon tried to figure out where the food is.

Omaha stayed in the shelter until the nasty raccoon was gone.

Evidently the raccoon came back later and tried to get into the shelter.

I think he was trying to relocate the shelter, but he was unsuccessful.  

He did manage to pull the blanket out and move the box.

Omaha showed up this morning to check on his house.

He's looking at the camera as if to say, "can you fix this mess?"

So, no more food in the shelter for awhile, so Omaha will have to dine on the rodent popualation.

Gus

Next weekend, Memorial Day Weekend, would have also been Gus's 70th birthday.  I never gave it much thought before that he shared his birthday with that National Holiday.  I suppose when we were kids, adding a birthday cake to the cookouts and picnics was what happened.  I don't really remember any of Gus's birthday parties, but I'm guessing he didn't remember many of mine either.

Lois decided to have a bench as a marker, similar to what we did for Dad and Ev.  On Saturday, I stopped by the Luck Cemetery to see the bench and it is really a sweet place to perch.

It is just West of a huge maple tree, so summer afternoon on the bench will be comfortable.

Gus's military honor is sent into the granite.

As much as I wish Gus was here to celebrate his 70th birthday, I am glad that he has such a beautiful marker and bench in the Luck Cemetery.  I'll be stopping by to visit from time to time,

it's a nice place to sit for a bit.

Now What

Well, as I feared the wild animals also are interested in free food.

This was Thursday morning, he didn't figure out how to get in, but I suppose it is within his problem solving mind to eventually open the lid.

This guy is too fat to fit through the hole, accidental good planning on my part.

I'm not sure what to do now, I don't think I'll put any more food in the shelter, and I'll just leave the water dish out.

Omaha will have to feed on mice for a while.

I don't really want raccoon all over the front porch.

Later that same day, here is my pal Omaha.

On Wednesday, here he is leaving the shelter.

So, the plot thickens.

I'll be better about checking the trail cam daily and see how it goes.

Stinking raccoon are messing with my program.
As is the bear.
I was sitting here watching late night TV and heard a noise.
I flipped on the front deck yard light and got a good look at a young bear.
He sauntered off after seeing me and the light, so no damage this time.
These wild animals are messing with my program.

Omaha's summer

Omaha seems to be settling into a routine, he shows up nightly to eat and spend a little time in the shelter.  With the longer days, I'm seeing more photos of him in the daylight, 

but I never actually see him in person. 

 Looks like he hangs around in the shelter for 15-30 minutes, must take a cat nap after he eats.

The Knot

I have such a good view of the birds from my living room.  This time of year is especially wonderful with the Baltimore Orioles, Rose Breasted Grosbeaks and many others.

The woodpeckers have been here all winter, and they are repetitive in some of their work.  One of my maple trees has a knot hole that gets a lot of work.

For a couple of years now, I have watched the woodpeckers busy themselves at this knot.

Are they cracking a seed?  Retrieving a seed that was stashed there?  Drilling for sap? or maybe drilling for bugs?  I'm not sure, but daily, one or more of the woodpeckers, Downy or Hairy, will spend some time at The Knot.

Working at The Knot.

Maybe it is like a corner tavern, someplace familiar to the birds, and for whatever purpose it serves, it does a pretty good business.

 A couple of regulars, much to my delight, are a cardinal pair.

It's not usual for me to see them in the light of day, normally they feed at dusk and dawn, so I'm happy to snap their family photo for them.

And of course love is in the air.

The robins are doing the dance.

I normally like to give a romantic couple their privacy, but these two were really acting up.

I hope they have a nest built in the yard somewhere.

It looks to me like they have tied the knot.