THEY DID NOT HISS AT US

Tom pulled the truck into the parking lot near Lake Sally. I glanced for open water and there they were! Actually, I said, THERE THEY ARE!!!!

We don't see a lot of swans in this area. It has only been the last few years that we have seen them as well as taken a picture. It isn't that Canada Geese aren't impressive it is just we see them everywhere in all stages of growth. So the swans, somewhat mystic to me, are a huge treat to see.

After all, most of the swans I had ever seen where on wallpaper and shower curtains and knew little of them but loved the what they could curl that long neck. After lunch, we had gone to a shop in Detroit Lakes called the Red Willow. We have been there before. It is an old house filled to the rafters with stuff. She has gone into pots and knives now but in the last room, I saw a wooded swan with a curled neck. It looks old but it isn't. She reminded us of someone named Bonnie with a skin condition so we call her Bonnie the Swanny. When we left the store, (after a long discussion about knives), I was certain it was the only swan I would see that day.

We had hoped to see open water. We expected to see geese, and of course ducks. There were no loons, although at first glance on the edge of the open water, we did see white breasted something 'walking on the water'. They turned out to be Buffleheads trying to get away from the eagle who was swooping near them.

We drove back roads until we found ourselves in the middle of the Hamden Slough Refuge. How pretty that will be when the wild flowers bloom in the summer. It is about 6,000 acres of grassland and wet lands with the hope to draw shore birds, waterfowl, and song birds. We saw greater than a dozen song bird houses in one small area. In Kansas, at the Girl Scout Camp, there are blue bird houses, that is what these looked like.

I had noticed that the internal winter within myself had lifted a few days ago. Why else would I hear myself saying, "Oh I can hardly wait to taste the coffee in the morning". And now, the geese are back in great numbers and so are the swans!

This weekend, a day trip SE to a migration pattern and hopefully, more water fowl to admire.

No hissing allowed.

No hollering, "THERE THEY ARE!!!"

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IT IS JUST A CLICK AWAY

In the late fifties, it took 7-10 days to get pictures back from the processing plant. It took 10 days to two weeks to get an 8 x 10 enlargement. And what you thought you took, wasn't always what you got. I don't remember the price. I do know many people used black and white only and sent the film, often pronounced fill-um away to be processed to a place called Brown's. I mostly just pestered Mabel at Ekeren Drug. Fast forward a half a century into a photographer's paradise when what you see is what you get but FAST! The story isn't that I saw a frog at the department store and passed on it because I had to figure out how I could jazz him up. It isn't about going back for the frog and polishing him with emerald gold left, (which is like shoe polish in paste form). It isn't even about MST turning the frog so I could put primer on the crown make it ready for painting it gold. What it is about is before and after pictures. Something people nearly always did before remodeling or refurbishing a room. This is about a frog picture. Something I would not do if it wasn't for digital. And it is about trying to explain putting the French doors back on the sun room even if they are always open. Because if you haven't been to our money pit, how would you have a clue. So it is before and after. But what started the thought process for this note was based on a stair rail we had installed. Because someone I know and love asked me to send a picture of it. Now, I want you think about this. Keep yourself at the age you are. If it was the mid 50's, you wouldn't be doing a play by play letter as it is with email. If it was the mid 50's, most likely you would not take pictures of a frog, stair rail, or door in production, if you took a picture at all. Most likely you would save the fill-um for Christmas, Easter, Birthdays, or Halloween. Are you with me? Think about if you did take those photos, Take, finished the roll, because NO ONE ever took at few and sent it in with pictures without finishing the roll. (Although I was known to do that simply because the process charge was the same for 1 or 12--forget about 24). OR take 8 pictures of the same thing to use up the roll. Like the dog standing in the sun and the shadow blotting him out. And now, the pictures are back and if you didn't get doubles, you either send the picture and ask for it back or go without. Asking for it back was a big thing. By the time you get the pictures back, the stair rail, frog, or doors are old news. So you probably won't send it anyway and now you have double prints of something you did but never wrote on the back of it so generations beyond aren't going to have a clue as to what it represented and when they sift through all your pictures, they are going to toss it because there is no person in it. It today's marvelous world of digital, one can snap, email or process the picture. If you are married in April, you don't have to wait until December to put it on a Christmas card. Huzzah for digital and email friends who want pictures of frogs, stairs, and doors. Why? Mostly because they humor me. Joy to you on your stairway to the stars to dance on the Milky Way in your top hat and tails or in your long shimmering gown. Be sure to get a picture! e

B 9 AND IT ISN'T BINGO

The case of the crater is closed. MST biopsy was negative. Now all that has to happen is the crater fills in, since the dentist wouldn't do it.

Since I am here.........are you a bingo player? I thought about going to the senior center this winter but I am not ready for bingo. Actually, it is a passionate sport to elders and if you don't think so, get between two of them when they are gunning for a prize!

I went to see my mother one day and she wanted to take me to the senior center for a lunch of hamburger gravy followed by bingo. I bought her nine cards to play all at once. I wanted to see how she would do. Oh, she kept up and then, before the game was over, she said that was enough and left to have a smoke. Mrs. Morbin who was a watcher, stood over me while I played mother's 9 and my one. We didn't win.

But for today, B-9 means celebrate MST nose.

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AND THE LAVA FLOWS

The off brand adhesive strips didn't stick. MST went back to the drugstore and got the real thing. Band Aid brand. WHAT WAS IN THE BOAT BAG? WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN CUT DOWN? Band Aid brand.

Last night, after supper, NOT during, I had my evening peek a poo. The dried blood which made it look like a black hole was being pushed out of the crater by lava. Well, not really but I had to get the line in somewhere. A watery like substance was nature's cleaning.

When I was little, I always imagined that there were little delivery like trucks in my body hauling healing properties where they needed to be. All the trucks were either red or blue. I suppose the blue trucks were taking out the trash but I didn't think about being trash filled. Therefore, I only had red trucks.

So the little blue trucks took the old stuff away from the crater and little red trucks brought in the good.

Nevertheless, MST is off to the dentist this morning. He thought he would ask Dr. J if, while filling the cavity in his tooth, he could fill the crater too.

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REPORT FROM THE BLACK HOLE

We left off yesterday wondering about circle adhesive strips. MST did go to the drugstore. He bought a box of Band Aids. One of those mixed boxes, you know, the kind that has all the worthless little strips in it. Because that is the only way you can get the circle size he wanted.

And then...........................

The circles were too big. (Why does this sound like a nursery rhyme)?

So he used a little worthless one.

Now, yesterday was a wild weather day. We had wind, (of course), rain, snow, sleet, thunder and lightening. And yes, it rained on the clean windows.

And...when Tom finally did get home. (giggle, giggle) one side of the worthless strip was no longer stuck down. He said the wind blew it loose. Now if you believe that, I have a bridge to sell.

Tomorrow, we find out if the crater is cancerous OR NOT. I wonder if he will call before or after his dentist appointment.

Stay tuned.

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IT'S A BLACK HOLE!!!

The man wears a hat and uses sunscreen. What else is there? A veil? But even MST had to have a doctor-who-does-biopsies have his work on his whiffer.



He called me after it was over to tell me how it was done. Of course, he had to tell me about the long needle to deaden his nose, followed by the orange disinfectant, and then, the plunger like cutter the doctor use to take a sample.



But what he didn't tell me was he was going to come home with a adhesive bandage across his nose which made his glasses sit a kilter. Now, all of us who are married, KNOW our husband's are the most handsome man in the universe. Okay, Soozi, Elvis in his prime is the all time winner. And MST, (My Sweet Thomas) even out ranks him because he is alive. :)



After supper, he took the tape off and offered to let me look. Well, I wanted the 50 yard line so I got out my double magnifying head gear with a light to look at it. I think the doctor must have burned it shut because I couldn't see just why he had it covered. After all, the client he fits with glasses all have had it done or knew someone who had it done and it was a perfectly round little crater that looked like a mini black hole. Honest.



The doctor said if he felt any pain, he could take Tylenol.



Now, there is a pharmacy in the building where Tom has the business. What does a pharmacy sell? Tylenol.



And, for those of you who are unaware, they also sell Band Aids.



And the drugstore is open all day.



So last night, about 8P, MST says, "Do we have any round bandages"? I looked in the linen closet, the store-all-don't-know-what-is-in-here-basket, and in the boat bag. No round bandages. To me, if you are going to bleed, go big. Use 4x4 gauze with tape or better yet, a sanitary napkin. So, no, we had NO round bandages.



Then he says, (you can see this coming, right?) "Do we have any Tylenol"? No, we didn't have that either. Well, we had some Tylenol with codeine and a bottle of Tylenol for arthritis but that was out of date by three years. (I told you that bast had stuff in it that we didn't know about).



"Are you in pain"?, I asked

"No", he said

"Then why are you asking about Tylenol"?

"Just in case", he said.



I suggested he not dress his nose for the night. I suggested he NOT cover it during the day. It was sealed and nothing was going to leak out. A covering would draw more attention

than his skin gap.

He left for work with his crater exposed.



The question is, will he buy Tylenol and round Band Aids today?



And no, it is not on the tip of his nose, oh my, I would even have vanity with that.



And no, it isn't so big I could fall in!





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BEWARE THE IDES OF MARCH...AGAIN

Reading the Sunday paper is a Sunday thing and when it came and went because of a priority project, I didn't lament. I could, after all, read my favorite cartoon on line.

Yet, yesterday, while using newspaper to fill in a box, the mid section front page caption was

BEWARE THE IDES OF MARCH

It had nothing to do with Shakespeare or Miss Barzen. This was a real live blizzard that hit on Saturday, March 15 in 1941.

The In-forum had looked back on the blizzard and the cost of lives on this surprise storm. The day started out sunny and 30 degrees. Around six in the evening, wind speeds at Grand Forks were 85 mph. Seventy-two people died, most of them frozen. One little boy actually died when the strong winds took the breath right out of him as his dad carried him home.

It tells of four brothers who went to town to go roller skating. The oldest two, 17 and 15 where found the next day. A short distance away, the searchers found a waving hand. Although the twin waving his hand died, his brother survived.

Another group of seven where stranded in the ditch on Highway 75 south of Moorhead. The stayed with the car and all survived as did a man of 60 and his son who buried themselves in the snow and kept kicking their feet to stay awake and warm.

In today's standard's the mechanics of weather watching and public notice have come a long way since then. Recently, a friend wrote to say we were in a blizzard. I looked out all windows and didn't see a thing. The paper was saying BLIZZARD. Cancellations abound. It must have been much like that day in 1941, clear sky, mild temperatures. The only thing different is they kept harping about the blizzard.

Yet, although informed, more than 800 people where rescued from stuck vehicles. Most of the cars where within 75 miles of Bismarck, which is central North Dakota. It is said it settled in quickly. And yes, I am going to think those stranded folks thought they could beat it out. Makes you wonder if they went around those 700 miles of roads that where closed.

Although it sounds like a crime scene scenario, they actually did use a helicopter with a heat sensing unit to find people stranded in their vehicles.

I was telling someone recently that if my mother got wind of a storm coming it, she had to make a trip to town to get 12 loaves of bread at the bakery so we would have enough, even though none of us ate much bread, except for toast.

So there is, in real life, a story about the Ides of March, right here in North Dakota.

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