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The worst of the heat is over, sunflowers and Grandpa Otts are blooming, and work continues on the Gilson garden tractor. Long-range winter forecasts are coming out, and Brrrr!

I will begin with work on the Gilson garden tractor. The hydraulic cylinder that raises and lowers the blade had to be removed to see if it can be repaired with new seals. (Currently at a shop for disassembly.) This meant removing the engine and fuel tank to gain access to the cylinder.

This was a greasy job and a real pain. If the cylinder cannot be repaired I will have to scrap this project, sell what I can, and try to find another snow plowing unit. I hope it does not come to that.

Around the yard, the Grandpa Otts and sunflowers have begun to bloom.

I have been salvaging firewood, with permission, from the neighbor’s tree removal pile. The salvage task continues.

I celebrated a birthday this month, as did Pam’s older brother, Larry. Coming up in a few days is our 52nd anniversary, so this month is notable for birthdays and other celebrations.

Long-range winter forecasts are coming out, and it looks as if the upper midwest may be in for a cold winter.

However, NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) forecasts a different scenario, with a 40% – 50% chance of above-normal temperatures through December for most of Iowa.

Still a 3rd forecast, from the Farmers’ Almanac, predicts a cold and snowy winter. I guess we will just have to wait and see who is the most accurate.

Life is continuing at a slow pace due to the recent hot weather. The “feels like” temperature hit 126F in Charles City, located about 22 miles from us. This review is from Rochester’s KAAL.tv’s July weather wrap-up.

In fact, on July 27, heat index values neared 120F in Rochester, and topped 120F for other locations such as Austin and Charles City.

Charles City is one of the local reporting stations. It was a hot and muggy stretch of weather! It has now cooled somewhat, back to seasonal averages, and we can now get outside a bit more often.

It is now primary season and several states have had, or are about to have, primary elections. I would like you to take a look at this AI-generated YouTube music video titled “Living Presidents” that encourages people to get out and vote.

Make sure you turn on the sound, muted by default, by clicking on the speaker icon at the top of the screen when it opens.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

No Pam’s Penny Today

Pam says she has no additional comments other than she is glad we had central air installed back in 2020.

Today’s Humor:

This week’s activities consisted of routine maintenance (painting) and new flowers blooming. Unusual, though: I obtained a log splitter. Many photos this time!

The hydrangea, located at the NW corner of Heart House, has begun blooming. These unusual flowers bloom white then turn red as they age.

Hostas are also blooming around the yard:

The phlox are looking good as well:

Keeping with the “around the house” theme, here is how the house looked during Elma Trail Days, held the week after the 4th of July:

The “Info Table” we had set up on the front porch looked like this:

For me, the big news since my last post is a new toy: A used log splitter. While I had thought of building one, as mentioned in a previous post, a unit came up on Facebook Marketplace at a price lower than the cost of obtaining individual used parts.

It runs (the electric start option is nice!) and operates but leaks oil at the front of the cylinder. The control valve is a bit funky as well, but I did get our stash of red oak split and re-stacked.

I will see what it would take to get new seals installed in the cylinder and replace the control valve. No hurry, though, as it works well enough for my purposes at this time.

The tentative plan is to take this wood to Felicity’s place later this fall, along with whatever other wood I can scrounge. Felicity and Peter burn wood for supplemental heat and this pile should keep them warm for at while.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

What Himself failed to mention is the previous “freebie” log splitter frame went out on the yard, then found a new home in an Elma neighborhood somewhere. Easy come, easy go.

I try to fit in exterior porch painting here and there, as weather and inclination permits.

Rock on.

Today’s Comment:

I am back, and there is much to cover this time. There was my trip to Colorado, Elma Trail Days, and some around-the-yard happenings. Lots of photos, so let’s get started!

I will begin with my recent trip to Colorado. I spend a few days with friends in Westcliff as they rode motorcycles during the day and I rode ATV trails. We would re-group in the evening, eat, and tell stories. It was a good time for me.

Here are a few photos from my trail rides in the Locke Park area NE of Westcliff.

I enjoyed my time in Wescliff. The sight of blue Columbine in bloom always lifts my spirits as does time spend with my friends.

Back at The Lot, a mix of good and bad awaited me. The good: My roof repairs from last fall were successful and there were no leaks in The Box. I was able to run the chipper and chip several piles of brush, some from last year and a few new ones from this year.

The bad news: Pine beetles have killed a couple of the lodgepole pine. While there are several approaches to controlling pine beetles, once a tree is dead the only recourse is to cut it down and wrap it in black plastic so the heat will kill the beetles and their larvae.

This may cause us to list The Lot for sale. I am not close enough to manage a pine beetle infestation and dead trees will decrease the value of The Lot. A final decision has not been made, but we are leaning strongly to selling the place.

If we did sell, I would miss sunsets like this:

Returning to Elma, two weeks worth of tall grass waited for me. Just as I was getting started, however, the fuel pump on my John Deere quit. I have a replacement on order, but in the short term I was reduced to using the Torro mower. It works fine but the catch bag needed frequent emptying and was prone to clog due to the tall grass and clover mix that makes up our lawn.

Elma is celebrating its annual Trail Days celebration, and today was parade day. Nothing special in the parade, but I did take these two photos to show what a typical small-town parade looks like in 2026.

Finally, the hollyhocks and day lilies are doing very well in the yard. The hollyhock featured below is a self-seeded plant from one of our original plantings.

Day lilies in this area are akin to weeds, but they do add color to the yard!

For now there is nothing major upcoming on our calendar. The 10-day forecast shows air temps at or near 90 degrees and the “feels like” temperature getting over 100. We plan to spend time indoors with chores and other tasks relegated to early mornings or late afternoons when the temperatures are a bit more bearable.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Other than helping the pets suffer through Heat Alert days while Himself was in Colorado, I totally enjoyed my time on my own at home.

Today’s Humor:

Summer is here! Pam did some “trimming,” the Gilson is running but not operational, and a trip is planned. Here are the details!

We will start with Pam’s “trimming” project. Every year there is new growth on our trees and shrubs, and sometimes this new growth overlaps onto adjoining plants. That is when Pam gets out her loppers plus shears and gets to work.

This year the lilacs, butterfly bush, and honey locust all were trimmed back to some extent. The result was a trailer load of branches to be taken to the town’s brush burning area.

The results are a neater-looking yard and easier-to-mow-around areas between and under the various plantings. This is maintenance that Pam performs every year.

In other yard news, the day lilies are beginning to bloom, adding some color around the yard.

Turning to mechanical projects, I have made progress on resurrecting the 1985 Gilson lawn tractor. It is now running, but is leaking hydraulic oil in a big way. I will have to get it up on blocks to be able to work underneath it, a task for later this summer. I am glad it is running, however!

I have begun another long-term project: building a log splitter. Why? Well, Felicity and Peter burn firewood in the winter, and there seems to be a fair amount of wood I can salvage in our area. Felicity paid about $225.00 a cord for wood (delivered) last fall (3 cords total), so if I can get some wood together for them it will save some expense in their tight budget.

For those not familiar with firewood, a “cord” is a pile of wood 4 feet wide, 4 feet tall, and 8 feet long, or 128 cubic feet of wood. Generally each piece is 16″ long, so three pieces end to end make up the 4-foot width.

The local tire shop had the bones of a splitter sitting behind their building so I stopped to ask the story behind it. I was “gifted” the splitter to “get another piece of junk off my lot.” I managed to drag it home and get the wheels to roll, a beginning.

Now I will begin to hunt up the required parts and pieces, and I think Facebook Marketplace will be my friend in this endeavor. I need a motor, control valve, hydraulic oil tank, pump, some metal for mounts, and hoses to connect everything.

I have three other events of note:

1. The neighbors are moving out to a farm house left to them by Ben’s father. We were on cordial terms with Ben, Kayla, and young Liam, but it will be much quieter when they are gone.

2. I will be going to Colorado soon to meet up with friends and ride some ATV trails. My next post will be delayed until I return home.

3. A guy says he will be here tomorrow (Sunday) to purchase my Yamaha XJ motorcycle and assorted parts and pieces. I hope he does, as I need the garage space to work on the Gilson and the log splitter. The sale of the XJ will help fund both projects.

Addendum: XJ has been sold. (Sunday)

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

In Himself’s garage, stuff leaves and stuff fills the empty spaces. So it has always been.

Rock on.

Today’s Humor:

Heart House flowers always have a progression of blooming, dying, then another round coming into bloom. This post will cover some of the early June flowers and a look around the yard. A few more critter photos are also in this post. Enjoy!

The iris and allium are done blooming but the peonies are just starting to hit their stride. We have three varieties/colors: deep red, pink, and white, all blooming at the same time.

Honeysuckle and tiger lilies are also in bloom.

Grandpa Otts and hollyhocks are doing well; the hollyhocks and day lilies are budding out and will be among the next round of blooming flowers.

Various other tasks have kept us busy. Pam planted our newest spruce tree and cleaned out the patio building (annual job after cats use the space in the winter). She is relocating the rhubarb plants and generally keeping the flower beds clean and neat. I will add that the north bed looks excellent this year, probably the best it has since we have been here.

I have been working on the Gilson lawn tractor and ordering parts as needed. It has been a slow process and still no guarantee the resurrection will be successful.

Another task: cutting and stacking firewood created by the oak trimming project. The wood is now stacked up along the side of the catio.

Keep in mind: These chunks are from branches of the old oak!

We did take a trip to eastern Iowa to drive by a few houses Pam had seen advertised for sale. Only one seemed worth the drive, a 5,000 square foot monster in Clinton, Iowa, but it needs more effort and money to repair than we want to take on at this point in our lives.

On the way home we stopped for gas at the Iowa 80 truck stop, billed as the “World’s Largest Truck Stop.” It was no great thrill.

As the last part of this post I am going to include a few cat photos. These seem to be popular with readers of this blog, so here you have Reese and Stirling.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Taking a quick look at events in 1776: Thomas Jefferson spent most of the month of June 1776 in his Philadelphia [rented] room, drafting the Declaration of Independence. For inspiration, Jefferson used as reference various philosophical ideals of governance, as well as the new governing articles of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Undoubtedly, Jefferson realized the long-term historical importance of the document he was being asked to produce. Pressure!

Rock on.

Today’s Humor:

Our tulips and daffodils are done and the lilacs are fading, but irises and allium are in full bloom. A few new cat and dog photos are featured, and I announce a new project to be completed by winter. Such are the stories of our retirement life.

These allium are planted next to our east porch steps. They are quite tall, and the flowers will last for several weeks.

Blue and white irises are blooming on the garden fence.

We went greenhouse shopping and returned with quite a few annuals. Pam planted many of them in our north flowerbed.

While we work outside, the cats and dogs relax inside. I realized it has been a while since I showed any critter photos, so here are recent shots of a few of our critters.

A new Gallery of “Critters” is up as well. This collection should be more interesting than trimming the oak tree. It consists of animals, other than our pets, that I have photographed over the years.

As if I did not have enough to do, I (somewhat inadvertently) picked up a new project: Trying to resurrect a 1985 Gilson GT18HE garden tractor. It has a blade on it, which I wanted, as I am getting tired of the twice-a-year switch over between lawn mowing and snow plowing with the John Deere LX176. The Gilson will, I hope, become my snow plowing tractor.

It does not run, and that is the challenge. It is also why it was cheap: A $100.00 bid bought it, something of a surprise as accessories, such as the blade and tire chains, normally sell for more than that. Someone did some “creative wiring” under the hood and I am waiting on parts to see if I can fix it. Wish me luck!

Summer life has dropped into a routine of yard maintenance, flower bed creation and upkeep, and small projects around the house. (Something always seems to need paint, for example.) Pam continues to research houses for sale in hopes of finding something with a water view that we could afford.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

It was a bitch of a winter, and then – seemingly suddenly, but not without a few hail storms – everything is once again growing. Plantings around the yard finally matured and have a familiar pattern. But I change things up a bit with annuals every year. This fall I will reintegrate the garden area into the yard once more, as I’m finding spring garden prep is more work than reward.

Relocation search: The sub-zero winters (and the Victorian stairwell) will break us, if we stay in Elma. I scan house listings along the Mississippi River in the Driftless Area; hopefully, moving south of our current latitude will save us from direct Alberta Clipper winter blasts. Properties are not inexpensive along the river, which is a bummer for retirees. I anticipate selling Heart House will be challenging. All factors under consideration.

Rock on.

Humor for today:

There are many topics to cover this time, and lots of photos to show as well. A new Gallery has been published to go with part of the story. The New York trip, tree trimming, motorcycle sold, and a few other topics are covered this time around.

I will start with my trip to visit Felicity and Peter in New York. Several tasks were finished or moved along, including:

Swinging mailbox installed. The old box had been hit by winter snowplows. While the post had been repaired, the box was in bad shape and all the neighbors had converted to swinging boxes to prevent winter damage.

The old post was removed and taken apart; the wood may be used in future projects. The new box will now swing if hit by a plow.

Another requested task: I added a handrail to the basement stairs. The laundry is in the basement and Felicity had difficulty going up and down the steps, preferring to go outside and use the back door instead. The handrail will be a big help to her.

One project was a partial success; splitting much of the existing woodpile, left over from a tree removed to make way for the septic system and the cutting down of a couple dead trees. I rented a splitter but ran into mechanical problems – the splitter would quit every few minutes – and had to return it before the job was completely finished. More to do next trip!

One job, a big one, did not get off the ground. I had rented a brush chipper to process brush cut from several locations. While I did have the chipper started at the rental yard, once at the property it would not take in any brush: the in-feed roller would not spin. Calls to the yard resulted in some troubleshooting but nothing worked. I had to return the chipper. The yard owner tried but could not get it to work either. I was very disappointed! Now Felicity is left with 4 piles of brush scattered around the yard.

The tall stump at the left of the above photo is there at Felicity and Peter’s request. They hope to fashion it into a roadside marker for their property, making it easier to locate the driveway in low light or night conditions. I had felled and processed the rest of the dead tree into firewood.

Since I could not chip brush I took to weed-whacking parts of the yard. In the photo below, brush was cut from around the tree to the right and the entire area cleared with the weed-wacker. Other parts of the lot received the same treatment.

The trip was long. With local running around and a trip to East Syracuse to listen to Felicity’s choir group sing in a competition, I put on 2,523 miles. (Felicity’s group did qualify for the national competition and I enjoyed the event.) Lowest fuel price on the way out: $3.40 per gallon in Iowa. Prices went up the week I was gone; the lowest price on the way back, also in Iowa, was $3.80. I did pay a high of $5.10 per gallon in Ohio.

I’ll include this travel photo and a short video clip. The first is the Mississippi River near Le Claire, Iowa, and the second is of Hector Falls near Watkins Glenn, New York. I passed the falls several times as it is on the road between Felicity’s place and Watkins Glenn, the nearest larger town and location of the equipment rental yard.

This second is a 44 second clip of Hector Falls.

In normal times, the trip would be the only topic of a post, but not this time. There is a lot more to come!

Two other events happened that are worth posting about. The first deals with the dead oak tree in our yard. I have mentioned this tree before as we had a quote to get it removed last year but the company never showed to do the work.

A neighbor was getting a tree removed so I went over to talk to the lift operator. Turns out he is a neighbor but not a professional tree remover. Still, he came over and looked at our tree and said he would take down what he could reach with his lift. We really wanted the dead limbs over the garage removed to avoid damage should they fall in a storm or strong wind. We paid him for his time and equipment expenses which was far less than the quote we had last fall.

I have created a Gallery to showcase the photos taken during the trimming. Please take a look! This photo will give you some idea of the work done.

In an effort to move along stuff I no longer use, I had listed my motorcycles for sale. The 2006 Kawasaki Concours sold this past Saturday. A younger couple had contacted me and came down (with a trailer) to see the bike and decided to take it home with them. The end of an era for me; I hope it serves the new owners well.

The last couple weeks have been very eventful and busy. Now I hope to settle down for a couple days and list a few more items for sale and move them along.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

May 10, 1776:

The Second Continental Congress passed a resolution urging colonies to establish new, local governments. This marked a major move toward total separation from England.

Rock on!

Today’s Humor:

The first of the Heart House spring flowers are blooming and flowering shrubs are starting to show green leaves. I have upgraded my web site somewhat and resurrected an old program and put it to use. Details below!

A few spring bulb flowers are blooming, daffodils and hyacinths. Magnolia trees are blooming on a neighbor’s yard. Tulips are developing their flower buds. It seems spring is definitely trying to arrive!

Spring often brings thunderstorms, and on Tuesday, the 14th, we received some of the largest hail I have ever seen. The sound of the storm was like someone beating on the house with a bat.

The hail damaged some daffodils and left quite a few small limbs and branches on the lawn. Some cleanup will be in order, but thankfully there was no damage to the house.

While we suffered only twigs and small limbs on the yard, others were not so lucky. The city’s solar panel installation was heavily damaged. Speaking to the city clerk, I learned the solar installation is covered by insurance but had to be turned off as a precaution against the system shorting out. Some of our neighbors reported damage to their windows and vinyl siding. A few cars have new dents in their sheet metal. No one I spoke to had ever seen such large hail.

Here is a 35 second video taken near the end of the storm.

Moving on into Tech Talk

I recently made the decision to upgrade my web hosting service from 10gb to 50gb of storage, as I was beginning to bump up to my original limit. This does not result in any visual change, but does open the door for me to do a few more things such as posting the above video.

Another upgrade was in software. Several years ago I had purchased a program called JuiceboxBuilder-Pro and had used it to create photo galleries for this web site. However, eventually it would not run on my old Mac Pro; there was a conflict with the operating system patches I had used to keep the old Mac going.

I tried using JB-Pro on my new Mac Mini and ran into a few problems. The JB-Pro support desk (Mr. Steven Speirs) did a great job of helping me solve my problems and get me back up and running. A salute to him!

My Gallery page looks quite a bit different now than it has over the past few years; many significant features have been added. You can now show or hide the thumbnails at the bottom of the gallery, open an individual photo in a new tab, enlarge or minimize the gallery, and step through photos manually or turn on autoplay. Instructions are at the top of the Gallery page.

The current gallery may be of interest only to Colorado or mining history buffs, but my plan is to publish a new gallery from time to time featuring more general topics. You will see a few past galleries that have been re-worked and expanded. This plan goes hand-in-hand with my project of grouping my old slides by topic instead of by date, making it easier for me to create and update galleries.

In other news, it was a quiet Easter. Becky’s birthday is the same week as Easter this year, so she drove to Elma and we celebrated both with a light lunch (including a desert of brownies and ice cream).

I will be heading to New York State shortly, so my next post will be delayed until I return. I hope to have some travel photos and information about the trip (and projects completed) when I get back. See you then!

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

It will soon be Mennonite greenhouse time. Hopefully after spring finishes with the hailstorms.

Rock on.

Humor Corner:

The time has come to start moving things along. I have listed both my motorcycles and have already sold the tractor. Other items are going “on the block” soon.

We are considering moving out of Iowa due to a few factors: Hog smell when local farmers spread manure, and Iowa’s increasing water quality problems that are leading to higher and higher cancer rates. Nitrates are the biggest factor, found in fertilizers and manure. Iowa’s response: Raise taxes on tobacco.

In anticipation of a future move, it has come time for me to move along projects that I will, realistically, never get to, like restoring my 1948 Ford 8N tractor. The motorcycles also need to be moved along as I will, in all probability, never ride regularly again.

Parting with these items will free up space in the garage and eliminate the need to move them should/when we move. And it simplifies life.

The tractor was first to sell. A local guy picked it up a few days ago. I had spent a lot of seat time on it during my high school years (it was the family tractor) and I had mixed feelings about letting it go, but better to have it repaired and put back to use than sit and deteriorate.

I had hoped to use the 8N at The Lot but that experiment did not work well; the 8N was not nimble enough to use as I had hoped.

A few people have inquired about the motorcycles, my 1982 Yamaha XJ1100 Maxim and the 2006 Kawasaki Concours, but neither has sold yet. Several accessories I had accumulated over the years will be listed next, mostly old windshield and luggage parts.

There are a few other news items. I attended the most recent No Kings Day rally in Decorah. Several hundred people were in attendance, a good number considering the cold conditions. Pam had made me a sign to take along.

A few days have been warm enough to get some lawn cleanup done. We cut back the forsythia bush as it was getting woody in the center. (Pam says it will “probably” regrow from the base. She was getting tired trimming it three times every summer.) I raked much of the yard to get rid of the sticks, twigs, and old acorn husks that had accumulated over the winter and the early lawn looks good.

In my previous post I mentioned I had stopped at the Plant Peddler greenhouse grand opening in Cresco. It turns out I won a door prize (!) consisting of a mixing bowl, pancake mix, a kitchen towel, and a bottle of maple syrup. All items are much appreciated.

My next post may be delayed as plans are progressing for another visit to Felicity and Peter in New York. The new swinging mailbox post and mailbox have arrived and I am starting to get my tools in order. I hope to tackle a variety of additional small tasks including putting a handrail on their basement steps and performing some lot clean-up. The latter will include renting a chipper and chipping brush, as well as felling a couple dead trees that I did not get to on my last trip. Should be a productive outing, providing the weather cooperates!

Finally, I have a new iGallery posted. This one is the first of a few on the topic of old mine sites in Colorado.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Listen, my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-Five:
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.

from Paul Revere’s Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, published 1860

When Longfellow composed this “founding origins” poem in 1860, the US was experiencing the internal turmoil that eventually resulted in the Civil War. History records Longfellow wanted to remind American citizens of the events unifying countrymen in 1775, when Paul Revere and a group of patriots engaged history.

Many years ago, I chose “Paul Revere’s Ride” as a poem to be presented to Mrs. Mealy’s 2nd grade class, as part of a Gifted & Talented program. I’d invited the school District Administrator to read the poem and lead a discussion after. Second graders were asked to project their imaginations back into US history, to be a kiddo in one of those houses on Paul Revere’s route. They were asked to describe how “A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door” would make them feel.

The second graders were magnificent; they grasped the concept and ran with it. Comments ranged from “I’d get dressed and go with my Dad” to “I’ll take care of the farm while Dad takes his musket and goes into the dark” to “This is scary, I think I’ll hide in the closet.” It was the glorious, but elusive, “teachable moment.” I felt very privileged that day, listening to children from the twentieth century connect, in an emotional way, with children from 1775. Through poetry.

Those long-ago second graders are now in their mid thirties. They’re workers, and possibly parents, they’re voters. I wonder if any of them remember the message of “Paul Revere’s Ride,” if they participate in their democracy, if they attend No Kings rallies. If they ever recall the warning from that 1860 poem:

Through all our history, to the last,
In the hour of darkness and peril and need
The people will waken and listen to hear
The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,
And the midnight message of Paul Revere.

Rock on, Mrs. Mealy’s second graders. Rock on, America.

Today’s Humor:

A week ago we were preparing for a record snow storm. Today we may set a record high for the date. Spring in the Midwest!

While Elma did not receive record snows (we were on the outer edge of the heavy snow band) several nearby cities did set records. Rochester, Minnesota received over 15 inches. Rochester is about an hour and a half north of us. Further north, and into central Wisconsin, the total snowfall was even greater, up to 24 inches. We received around 5 inches of the white stuff.

Our biggest problem was the high winds that accompanied the storm. Blowing and drifting snow was a problem, particularly in rural areas. Here in town we had some drifting in the alley and on sidewalks, making clean up a bit of a chore.

The snow was preceded by freezing rain. While this did not last long it did leave a layer of ice on walkways. Snow falling (along with the sleet) froze into a rough surface instead of glaze ice, making it bad but not treacherous.

The storm had been forecast several days in advance. I made a grocery run just to top off our supplies knowing our regular shopping day, generally a Monday or Tuesday, would be delayed. A stop at the gas station left me with enough extra fuel to run the snow blower and lawn tractor. Food and fuel to prepare.

Today the snow is gone except for a very few place where the city had created huge piles. With a forecast high of 78 the remaining snow will not last long. However, a cold front is coming through tonight and the extended forecast has high temperatures in the mid-40s for the next several days, much closer to average for this time of year. We will enjoy the warmth today and look forward to the arrival of true spring.

Speaking of spring, greenhouses are beginning to open. I stopped at a newly-rebuilt shop called the Plant Peddler located in Cresco. While the bulk of the annuals had not yet arrived, it was pleasant to walk through the facility and look at the gifts and plants on display. I took a few photos.

I am getting supplies together in preparation for a trip to New York. Felicity and Peter have a list of projects they would like addressed, including the replacement of their mailbox (destroyed by a snow plow during the winter). My trip will be made during the end of April.

The new box will be mounted on a ‘swinging arm’ post, hopefully preventing a repeat of the destruction. This is part of the advertisement from source Etsy:

Other small tasks have kept us occupied. I have pretty much finished going through my 35mm slides, grouping them by topic. There are a few left to get though, one binder left out of 15, and I hope to complete the project in the next week or so.

I have published a new Gallery, made up of waterfalls and other water features.

Pam had ordered a new sisal pad for the cat scratching post which I installed this morning, as well as reversing an existing pad so the cats could scratch on an unused portion. This approach is far more economical than buying a new cat post every time the scratching surface needs to be renewed. Pads have been replaced a couple times now and are available from Chewy.

A new “No Kings Day” rally is scheduled for March 28th and I plan to attend. While I try to keep politics out of this blog, I am very concerned about recent events (attack on Iran) and the proposed SAVE act. The country is on the wrong track. I need a new sign for next week’s rally, so if anyone has ideas for a good one, let me know.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Why am I trapping mice out of the basement stairwell? What happened to that foundation barrier blown on the house only six years ago? This is very irritating.

With the snow-warmth-cold temps-heat cycle comes the mud. Grayce loves the mud. The dog run is churned into a mud pit already. Yuck.

What do I enjoy the most — additional warmth or additional daylight? Luckily I don’t have to choose.

Rock on.

Today’s Humor: