The Iris

The Iris stands tall and straight and rivals the orchid in beauty and variety of color. Thank you, God, for Irises.

Flowers of the Day

Today's flowers are the Lily of the Valley and Bridal Wreath. I'm naming these two together because they both remind me of our days growing up in Chicago. These two spring bloomers were always available for picking and sniffing and decorating. My mother instilled a devotion to Mary, the blessed mother of Jesus, and I often placed a big bouquet before her picture. Things that remind me of our childhood days always bring smiles. There were 32 kids in that neighborhood and we ran and played and laughed. We moved when I was 10, but that decade meant a lot and gave we three siblings a strong healthy start in life.

Spanfarkel, I Think

We went to a pig roast Saturday. I think the german name for it is spanfarkel but even if it isn't, spanfarkel is a neat name. Ray Zettler threw the party for himself for his ninetieth birthday. He rented the pavilion at Hodag Park and invited everyone to join him. He's a jovial fellow and probably knows most of the people in town. Bing used to bowl with Ray so we were among the eighty or so friends that were there. It was "special day" for the three local grandchildren so we brought them along. We forgot the camera so I don't have pics of the festivities but I googled the accompanying picture for effect. The three vegetarian grandchildren got a little grossed out at the sight of the pig but quickly headed for the playground equipment and the beach so it wasn't too traumatic.

Flower of the Day

I've been building and walking a "meandering path" around our lot for several years now and that walking time in my day is essential to peace and tranquility and a growth in spirituality. The highlights of the path are the various flowers that poke through the earth's surface and smile their helloes through the rocks and ferns that grow there naturally. I plant and weed and water in droughts but there is no perfection to the flower arrangements. But I think I'll try to do a flower feature every now and then. Today's flower feature is the Lupine. I'm starting with it because it's Bing's favorite flower. As far as I know, it's the only flower he has ever noticed or commented about so that struck me as it being a very special flower. The reason he loves it is because whenever he and his fishing friends would go to Canada in the spring, the lupines would cover the Canadian hillsides and fields. He even brought home seeds for us to get some started and they are quite prolific. Their drawback is that they only flower for a short time in the spring but when they do, they shine!.

This and That

Well, time is flying by again and I thought I'd better get back to this because it must be annoying for folks to keep checking in and there's nothing new...........So, I thought I'd just list some of the things that have kept us busy the last few weeks - 1. Once the ice leaves the channel, it's time for the boat covers to be put back on the frames and for the boats to get back in the water. 2. The big garden and the raised beds and the muck bed down the hill all get rototilled and ready for planting. 3. The fences that were protecting the cedar trees and the raspberry patch from winter hungry deer are taken down. 4. The flower beds and asparagus patch get weeded. 5. The A-Frame must be cleaned. 6. We clean the house a bit better than usual because we have four fishermen stay in the house with us for a week. 7. This year we cleaned and painted one of the bathrooms. 8. Bing gets all his fishing gear back in catching form. 9. Bing has also been cutting, gathering and splitting a woodshed full of oak firewood from the neighbor's acreage. He likes to get it while the days are still cool. 10. The garden gets planted and the pump that pumps water from the lake for the garden, gets put in place. 11. We whack the weeds around all the gardens and flower beds with the gas powered weed whacker. 12. Bing mows the grass as much as needed. 13. We always find time to play with our grandchildren, visit casinos and pray to our benevolent God. The spring is busy but most of the items are done out in our beautiful outdoors. The energy of the forest air transfers to our bodies and minds and fills us with vitality.