Pudge

 The story of Pudge started twenty years ago at the Coors Brewery. My workmate, Genice, and I had been told by some of the workers out in the grain silos, that they had been seeing a cat in the building, but had been unable to catch it.  

Eventually, they were able to catch the cat and I got a frantic phone call telling me I needed to come out into the production area immediately. Larry, the cat catcher, told me he had caught a ferocious wild cat. Now they needed me to do something about it.

Thinking we were going to be dealing with a feral cat we brought a cardboard box and some gloves along, hoping that we would be able to get the cat into the box without getting injured.

When we got to the room where the cat had been captured, we saw a steel 55 gallon drum with a sheet of expanded metal laying on the top of the drum and on top of that expanded metal was a large piece of equipment to weigh down that expanded metal. For a split second I was very worried about what was going to be inside that drum. Larry had made sure that nothing could escape from inside that drum.  Larry had an unnatural fear of cats I think.  I don't think a mountain lion could have escaped from that set up.

When I looked inside that steel drum, I saw a tiny grey striped kitten. Genice still remembers me blurting out "OH FOR GAWDS SAKE!!"  I took the weight and the screen off and reached down into the barrel, barely able to reach the tiny kitten.  I brought him up, and he immediately snuggled into my arms, hiding his face in the crook of my elbow.  He stayed that way as we walked back up to our offices. 

Genice found some coffee creamers in the lunchroom and we made a home for Pudge in a box in my office and gave him the milk and some water.. The word spread fast and we were very popular. Pudge had many visitors. 

Genice said she would take the kitty home and work on getting him adopted. As it worked out, Genice's sister had a friend Mark who was happy to take the stray kitty. Mark gave the kitten a wonderful home, and named him Pudge as he quickly gained weight as he adapted to good food and a safe home.

This week, Genice called to say that Pudge had died at age 20.  The last few years, Pudge & his owners had retired to Southern California.  Not bad for a ferocious wild animal captured in the grain silos building at Coors all those many years ago.

RIP little Pudge.🐈‍⬛♥️

Resist

One benefit of resisting the mowing your lawn in May is that it gives the Forget-me-not flowers a chance to spread and bloom, and hopefully go to seed, before they get mowed away.

I wish my whole yard would be covered with Forget-me-nots. 

I got the starter Forget-Me-Not from my friend Carolyne, RIP.

Nice way to remember her and our friendship.

💜

There is a dwarf Iris blooming in one of the backyard flower beds. I don't really remember planting those bulbs. It's a beautiful deep purple color.

Against all odds, here is a beautiful bloom on a very short stem.

I planted 5 Lilac bushes in my back yard woods about 8 years ago,  4 of the 5 are not really thriving. There may be too much competition for nutrients by the other bushes & grasses.

One Lilac is loaded with flowers this year. I'm happy with a 20% success rate.

💜💜💜

The news coming out of Texas is beyond belief. 19 little children were murdered in their school classroom by a gunman using an automatic assault style rifle.  

These young lives were ended because our government does not respond to the will of the people. Our 'representatives ' are driven by big money & special interests.

I feel helpless. 

One action I can take is to write to my representatives.  

Sadly, I know that Senator Johnson & Representative Tiffany are  lost causes. Regardless, I am sending them an email everyday demanding to know what action they plan to take to stop the murders of our citizens by weapons that are designed to kill people.

 I use RESIST BOT, using Facebook Messenger.  Easy and free to contact your representatives. 

A little of this & that

 Fro several years,  my friend Kristi has walked in the Furry Scurry to benefit the Dumb Friends of Denver.  I try to donate every year, it is a noble cause, IMO.

She writes such a nice thank you. 

Everyone loves to get mail. 

🐾🐾🐾

I was to provide 3 door prizes for our bridge banquet tomorrow.  They gave me $20.

So. Zinnia plants from Aldi for $5.99 each,  dollar store pots & curly ribbon. Free deck of cards that came with my new Skechers shoes.

Good enough. 

The banquet wraps up the marathon season & we play our last match of the year.

And we get to eat lunch at Lehman's Supper Club, always a favorite of mine.

Prize money will be awarded.  Shirley & I have been last every year, $2 winners!

♠️♦️♣️♥️

Congratulations Megan!

Great niece Megan graduated from Frederic High School on 2022.05.20

Frederic has a nice tradition of a favorite teacher turning the student's tassle after the student has received their diploma.

Many of the kids had decorated their mortar hat tops.

 I watched the live stream from home.  The audio was not good enough to hear the speeches,  but I heard Megan's name announced when it was her turn to walk the stage. 

This class has not really had one year of normal high school. Covid made their high school years seem like an eternity.  25 graduates in this class of 2022.

Megan hosted friends & family at their home the next morning for a brunch party.  It was chilly,  the sun was intermittent but the fireplace tables just outside the garage were a great way to warm up. 

Megan is planning to attend the technical college in Eau Claire in the fall.  Megan is interested in cosmetology and plans to begin some coursework over the summer to learn lash extension procedures.  

Aunt Lois sent me this photo of Megan and her cousins Stella & Ruby.

♥️ these girls.

After the party,  a few of us stayed around visiting.  Niece in law Heather was celebrating her birthday,  so we had a little after-glow.🍺

Heather and son Gage.

It was a fun day of family.  Lots of out-of-town Johansens were there. Glenn & Kathy; Dana, Erin & Jake; Andy; and me. 😁

I look forward to visiting Megan in Eau Claire next fall. 

Our 2022 graduate Megan

 I watched Megan's graduation ceremony on live stream tonight.  

The kids seemed to have fun and it was a nice event. 

Congratulations to Megan.

🎓👏👏

We will gather tomorrow morning to celebrate with family & friends.

It had to be you

 

Maggie Peterson, a Memorable ‘Andy Griffith Show’ Guest, Dies at 81

As Charlene Darling, a member of the musical Darling family, she appeared in five episodes, beginning with one in which her character became smitten with Mr. Griffith’s.

When Dad turned 90 in 2012, we took a trip to Las Vegas. Dad & Ev, Laila Johansen , Andy Johansen  & Michelle Johansen , Erin & Dana Johansen and I went for a long weekend.

One night we took a limo from our timeshare to Bootleggers for dinner to celebrate Dad.  

Bootleggers was well known for drop-in entertainment (and good food). Singers would join the piano player for a number or two.

The waiter told me that Maggie Peterson, of The Andy Griffith Show, was in the bar and planning to sing. Laila & I went to the bar, explained to this very kind woman that it was Dad's 90th birthday and asked her if she might do something in his honor. Well, she did. 

First she got the whole room to sing Happy Birthday.

Happy Birthday to Wally video.

Then she sang "It Had To Be You". She even came over to Dad and flirted with him while she sang.  It was fantastic. 

It Had To Be You video.

Rest in Peace Maggie Peterson, you made Dad's 90th birthday party unforgettable. ♥️

A nice day for greenhouse hopping

I had lunch with my quilting pals Mary & Sharon today. We met up in Hayward. At first, they were at one restaurant and I went to another.  But we figured it out.   We had a nice visit.  Then I meandered home, I got home at 4pm. It was a full day.  And it was sunny, 70s & a little breeze, perfect weather for greenhouse visits.

After lunch, I stopped to use the bathroom (and get gas)  at Kwiktrip and picked up some plants at the hardware store next door that was having an outdoor garden center. Then I stopped at Weegmans by Sarona and picked up a few more, And then I had seen a little Greenhouse ➡️ sign by the side of 53, not too far North of Rice Lake, so I followed the signs.

I found a cute little Amish Greenhouse.

Shady View.

It's her first year.  She's got nice things and she's very friendly.  I'll go back. 

(Cash or checks/no credit cards.)

These ducklings were not friendly though, they were scaredycats.

I think I have all the plants I need now for the whole year. I just need to fill some pots here and at the cemetery.

 📍📍📍

Yesterday I tried to give blood. I had read that they were testing for antibodies and thought I would be interested and there is a very serious shortage of blood supply right now. 

They have always been happy to have my be positive (B Positive) donation. But I did not know about the rules regarding hearts. You have to have 6 months of no symptoms of any heart problems to be eligible to donate. I flunked that test and probably will continue to flunk that test so I'm officially hanging up my blood donation shoes for good. I'm disappointed because it's such an easy thing to do and it so easily saves lives. I'm proud that I've given as many times as I have over my lifetime and that will have to be good enough. 

I think I'll get involved with volunteering at the local blood drives and that will make me feel like I'm still contributing.

🩸♥️🩸♥️🩸

Spring Images

 Fort-get-me-nots are my favorites. 

Apple tree blossoms

Wild plum

I love these apple blossoms

I'm told that wild Plum blossoms have a nice fragrance

More Forget-me-nots

Wood violets

I planted my big flower pots with Red Verbena

I picked up a few bedding plants on my greenhouse meander

No Mow May is a concept promoted in the interest of preserving food supply & habitat for Spring bees & other pollinators.

I'm not sure what plant this is,  but I love it and hope it spreads.  

My yard is a good example of what a yard looks like without a first mowing of the season.

 Even though I did not have a discussion with Jim, who mows my grass, about No Mow May, I'm pleased that it has worked out this way.  😀 

I am not so sure that my neighbors agree.

As luck would have it, I spied the Bunting

We had hard rain, lots of lightning last night and some wind.  This morning when I was checking my cameras I saw a recording of 2 Indigo Buntings at the seed plank.  Sadly, the lens of the camera was foggy so it was a poor video.  

I was getting ready to go meet Mary and Rick for breakfast 
when I looked out to see the Bunting was back.

And he brought pals.

 What does it mean if you see an Indigo Bunting?

What does it symbolize to see an indigo bunting? These birds symbolize a mystical meaning of wisdom and spiritual realization

What a treat.  These birds are so blue it is remarkable.  I count my lucky stars that I happened to see them.  I wish that they would hang around, but in the past, they have been just traveling on.

The indigo bunting is a small seed-eating bird in the cardinal family, Cardinalidae. It is migratory, ranging from southern Canada to northern Florida during the breeding season, and from southern Florida to northern South America during the winter. It often migrates by night, using the stars to navigate. Wikipedia

Scientific name: Passerina cyanea

Wingspan: 7-9 inches nhpbs.org

Family: Cardinalidae

Students

 Great nephew Jens made the paper as Student of the week. 

 It is always nice to see the kids get a little recognition.

A couple of weeks ago I attended the Spring Concert performed by the Luck Elementary students.  It was really fun.  The music was very diverse. There were folks songs with dancing, African drums were used to demonstrate rhythm, colored babushka scarves were used to pantomime the world's of 'What a wonderful world', and more.

It was very upbeat and interesting.  The kids looked like they were having fun. 

I really enjoyed the show. 

Great nephews Jens, Jude, Ivan & August were amongst the performers.

They did great.

Kudos to those teachers!