ON THE TRAIL...

Here are a few pics off the trail. It has expanded over the years and now goes as far as Holdingford, which has a covered bridge. I haven't been that far but am trying to plan a trip with my husband. We will be biking so there is a lot of planning for eating stops and sleeping stops. It wil take me awhile to go that far . I am a little out of practice and my knees are a little older. ENJOY!!

IN THE GARDEN....

Here is my mandarin orange azalea which is suffering from being transplanted and a hard cold winter. I am hoping with lots of TLC it will come back fuller and with more blossoms next season. We recieved a gift card from Hospice to purchase a plant in memory of our loved one who had passed(Pauls mother). He loved the one we had at our home in Washington State. This got me to thinking(always a dangerous thing) I am very homesick and miss all the beautiful plants we had back in my home state so I decided to make an acid loving garden (flower bed). They are developing varities that can with-stand our cold winters, with proper shelter and mulch. I then transplanted my two blueberry plants and they seem to be doing allright not sure if they will have berries this year but they will eventually. That is if I can protect them from birds and stray neighbor children. I recently added two rhododenrons. Beautiful red ones(like back home) One blossomed nicely the other just had leaves. I am looking forward to adding hydranges also. There is still a lot of work to be done here because we do not have acid soil. Gardening is an adventure for me...maybe you would like to come along?

GRADUATION

Here is our first grandchild Alyssa. She will be 5 in October. I think she is gradutating pre-school here. Her mother sent an e-mail the other day talking about graduating. Alyssa from school, Madelyn, her sister, to a big girl bed and baby Carter to the crib. We went for quite awhile wondering if we would ever have any grandchildren and now we have 5 and one on the way. It seems like life goes much faster the older we get. I believe all my brothers and sisters are grandparents. ( all but one..sorry David ) We were amazed that until a couple of years ago my grandchildren had both sets of their great-grandparents. I didn't even grow up with grandparents. Times are changing so I guess I better be ready to live at least 30 more years .. maybe even more. Unless GOD decides to come again. I do love being a grandma.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Here is Sunday Dinner at the Cottage today. We worked out in the garden and started a play area for the grandchildren. Both areas are small but then so am I so it works out great. We have a very small place which will be nice as we get older. I do envy my sister-in-law Kathy with the chickens and sheep. I always wanted a hobby farm. It would be nice as we slow down in life to be able to busy ourselves around home and be so content. It was a beautiful day here today so Paul and I went for our first bike ride of the year. We have some beautiful trails and paths and the town has a bit of character still. We passed the Sauk River Park on our ride, there is a trail that goes through the back side, and saw a group of Mennonites using the park for a meeting or picnic or some activity. I often wonder what a simple life like they have would be like. I wanted to stop a take a picture but some say that is rude, so I just rode passed. It is days like today I don't mind so much to be here in Minnesota but come July I will wish I was vacationing at Cedar Pond or Apple Blossom Farm. Oh yes.. if you would like to know the Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumb Pie was wonderful. We had a piece after our bike ride...yes I said one piece, it is hard to believe but true.

BAKING DAY

It was quite a productive day here at wobegon cottage. I like to have lots of goodies for the holiday's. I decided to make a tradition of having strawberry-rhubarb pie for Memorial Day. I have a little patch out front. This year I made rhubarb pie and strawberry-rhubarb crumb pie.

I am not sure the cinnamon rolls will make it to Monday. I like to have a treat on Sunday mornings with my coffee before going to church. There is also a loaf of bread and some dinner rolls. I think this years menu for the Memorial Day Lunch will be grilled chicken or fried chicken, potato salad , melon salad, corn on the cob, and rolls of course and some kind of jello. I am still putting it together in my mind so we'll see how it comes out. I even had sometime to work outdoors but not much to show for it yet. We will probably finish out the evening with a little bon fire but I am still working on that area of the yard. "ENJOY"

EVENING MEAL

Here is grandpa and Hunter eating dinner. WEll... actually Hunter already ate but insisited on being near his grandpa. It is becoming quite comical. When grandpa arrives home from work at the end of the day Hunter gets all excited to see him. He also thinks a certain routine should be maintained. Dinner. games or songs on the computer, play-time with gramps and then he is happy to go about his own play. We just sit back and laugh he seems to be rather smart. You don't suppose it is all that grandma influnce do you? lol. I just find it interesting after spending all this time with me he truely has taking a liking to my hubby (his grandpa) After all grandma tells stories. bakes ,gardens ,takes him for walks ,reads books, does finger plays and even just did our first craft. ( a bird feeder out of a water bottle) OK.. he mostly watched but I have to follow in my mothers footsteps..well at least the craft thing. Now to get started on planting some raspberry bushes..hmmm ( follow in my fathers footsteps also?)

HOT HOT HOT

It was a hot one here in wobegon. I believe they said about 20 degrees above average. ( 94 ) The rest of the week will be in the 70'S which is a welcome relief. The air conditioning isn't working. I will be getting someone out soon to fix it. It is really almost a necessity for the months of July and August. The humidity makes it unbearable. I miss Washington state with cool evenings no humidity and mosquitoes are limited.(they dont make a meal out of you) I don't usually bake much duing the summer. The oven heats up the house. You have to garden in the early morning and even then there are lots of bugs eating away at you but alas this is where the Lord has me for now and I will be content.

2 Timothy 6:6 But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment.

SUMMER IS ALMOST HERE

The rhubarb is ripe and the strawberries were bought so I made my first of the season strawberry-rhubarb pie. I am still struggling with the thickness of the filling. It is too runny..guess I will have to keep baking untill I get it right. The weather is beginning to change, 84 today and my air isn't working. This winter it was the furnace and stove. Oh well..I will have it fixed by the time the real hot weather arrives. It will be around 90 on wed. but then cool back to 70-80 for the rest of the week. I really need to get back in the garden and get things planted. Night time temps have been low but this week looks like it will be ok to plant. Now if I can get Hunter to cooperate and let his grandma work in the garden we will be set. It is getting hard to carry him around everywhere but I am not sure if I really want him walking yet. He manages to get into everything as it is but I will enjoy it while I can they grow up way to fast.

GARDEN NEWS

Well I finally had a day to work on the

garden Saturday. It took me this long with the help

of my hubby to get the pictures loaded. I have been in

a lot of pain-I need to learn to pace my-self now that I

am getting older:) I think it is quite an improvement

from the last pic I posted. Hope you followers enjoy!!

I still need to add rock around the firepit and path and some

more dirt to the garden but it is coming along.

MOTHER'S DAY

Michael and Karla took us to a baseball game for mother's day. Twins vs. Mariners at the metrodome in Minneapolis. Ken Griffey is back on the Mariners and was nice enough to hit a home run which sparked the team and they ended up winning. I was very excited and it made me a little homesick. The Twin fans were not.

WATCH OUT EMERIL: today was Hunters first cooking lesson.

I mixed the cake batter he hit the mixing bowl with a spoon. He just might be taking after great-grandpa Burnson after all his name is Hunter David--the weather wasn't as nice today so all we got done out side was the watering. I am wondering if I will have time for my garden this year. I just might let it rest and try next year when Hunter can help..He is quite the handful.

THE BEGINNING

It was such a beautiful day out so I took Hunter outside and decided to start rearranging the garden..yes I even rearrange the yard and garden. Well it needs new soil and I want to fence it so that is how it all got started. I was so busy with my granddaughters last summer some produce was wasted. You have to pick and water every day and with little ones that isn't always possible. I don't see them that often so they are the priority. Anyways.. the day was bright and sunny, birds chipping ,bugs arriving early very nice most of the day. Around dinner time (or supper as they call it out here) a storm started to brew. It got me to thinking how life is a lot like my day today. It goes along quite nicely then a trial or two hit, kinda like the storm, came and went. My life here in wobegon has been alot like that. The storms here are nothing I have ever experienced before-same for my life here. I found comfort in knowing the Lord is always with us and he is in control. LET THE STORMS COME...

Paul had the dayoff so we took our grandson Hunter to

Sauk River Park. It is within walking distance of our home. We checked out the camping spaces just in case we get any visitors who want to camp near the Wobegon Trail. The weather was beautiful and a good time was had by all.

Hunter at sauk river park

We had such a fun time with him today. He is changing so fast. My heart goes out to him I so want him to come to know the Lord. Thinking about it sometimes makes me cry and then I turn it over to God and let him handle the pain. I never realized fully what a family and home-life I really had. We often take for granted some of the simplest of things. Moving out here, where it is sooo different then how I grew up, I have come to really appreciate my family life and I don't take it for granted anymore. We have finally found a wonderful church and I now feel like my life here is just beginning. Lots of mistakes were made in the past but God is so gracious to forgive and forget and help us to move forward. I love my God.

SWEET TREATS

These are my dark chocolate peanut clusters (with rasins) I was trying to imitate a candy bar I had when I was a child. It came in a square but I can't remember the name. They also melt quickly (in your hand), haven't figured out what those candy companies use..must be something artificial.

Here it is Saturday morning and I was going to sleep in just a little. It is the only day I can but alas. the sun is starting to creep up between 5:30 and 6:00 now and the Birds..the ones i love seeing come back in the Spring but can't wait to get rid of in the fall..are quite noisy this morning. Paul just left for work, so here I am trying to work on this site but really wishing I was still sleeping.

please excuse the contruction mess

Just in case anyone is viewing this blog I wanted to let you know it is under construction. I am rearanging pics and things which takes a lot of time. Hope to have it back up and running by the end of the weekend.