Sunday, May 26, 2013
Potpourri
To him who in the love of Nature
holds Communion with her visible forms, she speaks A various language.
- William Cullen Bryant, "Thanatopsis"
Sunday, May 19, 2013
The Turtle
Early in our brief spring Baron and I headed over to Myre-Big Island State Park near Albert Lea, Minnesota for a hike. Unfortunately, a recent heavy snowstorm had pulled down many trees blocking and closing many of the parks roads and campgrounds. I left my truck at the entrance ranger contact station and we hoofed it a mile along a road to one of our favorite hiking trails. As always there were a few adventures along the way. You
might note Baron is wearing a red collar. This is a electronic training collar in lieu of the required leash. I don't allow him to chase deer. The alternative is a large dog, dragging a man, on the ground, while chasing something else....:)
Baron spotted something moving on the road ahead. He is an investigator at heart....
might note Baron is wearing a red collar. This is a electronic training collar in lieu of the required leash. I don't allow him to chase deer. The alternative is a large dog, dragging a man, on the ground, while chasing something else....:)
Baron spotted something moving on the road ahead. He is an investigator at heart....
Sniffing the creature who refused to play Baron quickly lost interest and we head on toward the Great Slough skirting around all the fallen trees on the road. It was a beautiful day and we had the huge park all to ourselves. A small creek drained the slough into Albert Lea lake and Baron spotted a ruckus going on. It turned out to be a bunch of large and spawning fish. In the midst of the turmoil we spotted something unusual. Look carefully....
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Giants Of The Earth?
Recently I was stumbled upon the inner mechanics of my blogs and came across a tab named “statistics.” I tried it and found something called “page views.” And thereby discovered a ranking of my posts over the years. As an ex teacher I try to make my book review and nature blogs informative and even, shall we say, educational. I rarely take the low road to humor or entertainment values for their own sake. J Thus, it was a huge disappointment that by far (17,000) the most viewed post I ever wrote was the following. Sometime you have to wonder at the taste and values of the American Public…….
(July 23, 2010) I'd
never seen them before but they are all around us this summer. They're called
earwigs. Oops wrong picture.
They're creeping crawly things, usually found, for example,hiding underneath Baron's water dish. They slither off at the slightest
exposure and also try to sneak into the house.
They reportedly tunnel in thru the ears and nest in the
brain. Take my word for it THIS IS A MYTH. They also DO NOT CARRY DISEASE.
With a rear mounted pincher they are scary to look at
though. When I saw my first ones, my imagination got the best of me. Thinking
they were babies, I recalled similar looking giant creatures in a movie,
marauding through the streets of Japan & America, laying waste the
countryside.
Size: "1"
Shape: Long, narrow
Color: Dark brown
Legs: 6
Wings: No
Antenna: Yes
Common Name: Earwig
Kindom: Animalia
Phylum: ArthropodaKindom: Animalia
Class: Insecta
Order: Dermaptera
Family: Forficulidae
Species: Forficula auricularia
Earwigs feed on leaves, flowers, fruits, mold and insects.
Mrs T has proposed dousing the house foundation with a
pesticide. Being the "Green" member of the family, I've resisted that
idea. Earwigs. Harmless, cute little bugs aren't they?Saturday, May 11, 2013
Mothers Day
On this special day for Moms, I think of the mother of our two sons. Who grew into fine young men under her care and tutelage.
And my own mom who raised three sons and closely guarded the eldest (Troutbirder) while allowing him to run free......
Thursday, May 9, 2013
"Drives"
When our boys were small, overtired, slightly sick &/or
cranky, we used to take them for "rides." It was a miracle cure. It
had a calming, soothing effect that left them quickly asleep and ready to bring
home and put to bed. All these years later it is still one of our favorite
things. In any season we just head off for parts unknown. A new road, town,
café, scenic vista and we now find ourselves to be calmer and refreshed. Oh and
in spring, summer and fall we like to bring picnics along.
Some recent examples from last year -
We found the Houston, Minnesota Nature Center at the
terminus of the Root River bike trail. It functions both as a nature center and
as the trailhead facility for the Root River Trail in Houston. Here you can
camp, take a shower, enjoy the hands-on nature displays, meet Alice the Great
Horned Owl, walk through the prairie,
take in a Saturday evening program during the summer, or enjoy recycled bike
art
An old mill at Lake
Mills, Iowa.
A view from the ridge
at Balltown, Iowa looking east to the Mississippi and Wisconsin.
Cranberry farms in
Wisconsin.
On a minimum
maintenance road it's best to take the four wheel drive Chevy truck....
A round barn along
the way
Of course, a day trip
is never really complete without a picnic. Here we are with friends Rick &
Loretta at Big Island State Park.
Then it's Minnesota :"Country Roads Take Me Home..."
Monday, May 6, 2013
Summer Plans
I went down to the county fairgrounds to get my Coyote Camper
out of storage. Everything checked out just
fine. It's ready to go!
Then I charged the battery on my lawn tractor to get ready for spring
lawn clean up.
The fishing boat got
a good vacuuming and the trolling motor was checked out as well.
I headed up to
Rochester and Gander Mountain to replace my leaky waders for trout fishing. Baseball is also definitely on my mind.
Perhaps a few more games to be taken in this
year as the Twins might be making a comeback with an improved pitching
staff. My little garden seed packages are
on immediate standby and it will be a great summer for flower gardening.
Oh just one caution. The way things have been going this so
called spring, I’m predicting rain, sleet and snow in a couple of days!!!!
Grrrrrrr!
Friday, May 3, 2013
Hiking With Baron
It’s been a long and difficult winter here in Bluff Country.
A year ago March resembled May and local farmers were already cultivating and
in early April planting began.
Yesterday, May 2, we got 13 inches of snow here on Oak Hill. Only a few days prior to that The Big Guy
(Baron) led a 2 hour hike in Lake Louise State Park. On that day the temperatures had reached 75
degrees…… Go figure.
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