Christmas in April.

      A few years ago I posted a few bluebird houses. Gradually the number of houses has expanded so that they number about 25 now.  Never has a bluebird been spotted near them. However, they have proved very popular with tree swallows. That's fine, because the swallows also need nesting space. Sella gave me two, nicely decorated, for Christmas. Today I placed them on posts.

    After mounting the first one on a pasture post I moved on to do the second. Near the post I planned to use there was a battalion of invasive cedars. Before mounting the box I spent an hour cutting the cedars. With that task complete I mounted the second box. As I was leaving the pasture there were several swallows flying around the first box. None of the boxes a quarter of a mile north had any birds. This leads me to believe that these swallows had just arrived. 

   Occasionally cattle will knock a box down, it's happened twice. Wrens are a bigger problem. They are so territorial that they will stuff boxes full of twigs to deny their use by other birds. Last summer, in one line of eight boxes, six were filled with twigs. That's disappointing because it denies other birds their use. 

  While I was doing these tasks a meadow lark was serenading me. A flock of pelicans flew over, newly arrived back from wintering in the south. Both the lark and the pelicans made me glad. 

Takk for alt,

Al

If you look carefully as this newly posted box you can read "Sella Rocks" at the top.

A box that wrens have stuffed full of twigs.

You go. Earl!

 

Joanne Elizabeth (Hanson) Negstad, April 1, 1936-April 12, 2018

      When asked if it seems like eight years since Joanne died I responded, "I don't know what it feels like."  What does eight years feel like?  It's been long enough that it feels normal to be single. Naturally the anniversary of her death triggers grief.  This morning at 7:00 I visited her grave. One of the gifts of being resident at The Little House is its proximity to the cemetery, which I've visited several times this week.

    Naturally I reflect  on her last day. After relieving the night nurse at 6:00am, I asked Joanne, "What's special about April 12?" She shrugged her shoulders. Three and a half hours later she died, surrounded by her family. The night previous was the only time she didn't get through all her mail. One day she received 53 cards! There were visits, phone calls and emails. Her gradual death was a huge, gift allowing her to bask in the accolades, many of which were a total surprise to her. 

   Frequently I've described my grief experience as moving from a knife in the ribs at first, to the present dull ache. Knowing what she's missing, especially with her granddaughters, is always accompanied by grief.   

   When grief strikes I try to focus on the important gift of 53 years of marriage to her. Gifted, faithful, accomplished, compassionate, kind and loving she lived a very productive life. It was my great good fortune to be her companion on the way. Rest in peace Joanne, good and faithful servant.

Takk for alt,

Al

Joanne modeling the dress she wore for Lars' and Melissa's wedding.     

  

California Beach!

       

   As reported in the blog yesterday, Borovika's assessment of my painting ability, or lack thereof, dissuaded me from doing more painting. Perhaps my next painting episode was many years later. It came when I accompanied a youth mission trip to California.

    After some very successful fund raising a mission trip to California was arranged. Flying to San Francisco on Friday the plan was to sight see the city Saturday and Sunday. In two rented vans we toured the City. Monday we drove to the Sacramento Valley and connected with Youth Works, who organized the work detail.

    The group to which I was assigned were tasked with painting an elderly woman's house. In the process of painting it became clear we needed a ladder. The woman, whose house we were painting, said there was one in her shed. Then she said, "Be very careful, because there many black widow spiders in there." Sure enough the inside of the shed was festooned with spiderwebs, each one hosting a black widow spider.

   The most interesting part of this trip happened in San Francesco. While we were visiting Fisherman's Warf, the youth said "We can't be in California without going to the beach."  Consultation of the maps showed a beach not far away. Off we went and the youth quickly exited the vans to wade in the surf. Two girls headed down the beach to get a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge. Quickly returning they said, "You don't want to go down there." Mary, a chaperon, went to investigate and returned to report that we were at a nude beach.

    This was on Saturday afternoon and before cell phones. On their calls home that evening the youth reported the adventure. When my wife went to church the next morning, back in Minnesota, she was greeted with, "Pastor Al took the kids to a nude beach!"  So, I now have that on my resume`.😀

Takk for alt,

Al

    

Spring Tasks!

      There are number of small tasks to do upon returning to SDak. in the sprig.  Some of them reverse what was done in the fall.  To avoid weathering over winter, I put my implement trailer in the garage. It blocks access to two tractors so garaging it waits till late fall. Soon I'll take it out and it will remain outside until fall. Before removing I waterproof the deck. That was today's task.

    While doing the waterproofing a memory suggested itself.  Serving my Marine enlistment I was stationed for a time at Camp Pendleton in southern California. Ed and I were office clerks (secretaries) in a rifle company. He was the typist and I the file clerk. Sgt. Borovika was the office manager, married and living off base.  When he rented a new apartment in town he recruited Ed and I, and perhaps another, to help paint the newly rented apartment. 

     At the apartment I was dutifully painting a bedroom. While I was painting Borovika approached, and watched me paint for a few minutes. After observing me a couple of minutes he said, "Al, why don't you go buy the beer." 😀 Such was his opinion of my painting skill.

      Borovika transported us to the painting site in his Corvair. That's the car later made famous as "unsafe at any speed." Driving down Coast Highway 101, it was a four lane highway with traffic only separated by a painted white strips. Borovika was driving 60 mph+ in the center lane. Immediately in front of us an approaching bus crossed the center lines toward us in our lane and swerved back to its side a few feet in front of us. This was 1961 or 62, so we had no seat belts.

    Back to my day's task. When the original trailer deck began to fail I added a layer of three quarter inch, marine (appropriate right?) plywood over the original floor. That is what I was treating today with waterproofing. The Lowe's salesman convinced me to buy a better product than what I'd previously used. The previous product needed to be applied annually. The new one is good for 5 to 10 years. When told that I said to the salesman, "Imagine how old I'll be then!" 😉

Takk for alt,

Al

The trailer awaiting waterproofing.

Pray for rain!

       Perhaps this is a repeat. "During a prolonged drought a local church scheduled a meeting to pray for rain. When the prayers gathered, only one man brought an umbrella." 😀

     The South Dakota drought map, see below, indicated that Brookings County, home to The Little House, is in severe drought. UFFDA!  There was very little snow locally this winter and no rains this spring. So, added to the farmer's woes of low commodity prices, high fuel and fertilizer costs, there's another worry. Shades of my childhood when it seemed every summer we were anxiously waiting for rain.

     Kaia, with her fresh haircut, to avoid being a  burr magnet, is living the good life running in the fields. She flushed a rooster pheasant near the cemetery this morning. Doesn't get any better than that for her. 

Takk for alt,

Al

Brookings county is on the east edge, the 4th county down.

Good News! Bad News!

     Last fall, shortly before Thanksgiving, I parked my truck in the shop for the winter. Today it started immediately! That's the good news. When it was parked it had only a quarter of a tank of gas. That's the bad news. At today's gas prices it will cost $110. to fill the tank. 😝 Well, that's the price of a hobby farm.

   When the local banker was queried about farmer stress he replied that most farmers had contracted earlier for fuel and fertilizer.  So, for this year, they  may be OK. Farmers who have cattle are fortunate because beef prices remain elevated...bought hamburger lately?

   Some of my land is in the Conservation Reserve Program, (CRP). This is government program to conserve land by planting grass and keeping it out of crop production. The contract specifies that at mid-term of the contract, ten contract year in my case, a maintenance process is to be done. Consequently, I was planning a controlled burn. With no snow this winter, and no rain this spring, it is so dry that there is a county wide burning ban in effect! Better luck next year.  

   Why does Kaia's fur relate to a thermostat?  Kaia is a springer spaniel, noted as a long haired breed. Her last haircut was in October. Consequently, since early January she's been fully furred. For her comfort the thermostat has been lower than my comfort zone. With her grooming today I can turn up the thermostat!

Takk for alt,

Al

Soon I'll be wandering this grassland to eliminate invasive cedars.