I don't have enough sun to grow zinnias so I cheated and bought these already blooming zinnias. I'll do my best to keep them in sunshine and keep them blooming as long as possible. I just love zinnias, found these in Battle Lake a couple weeks ago for just $1 per round pot.
Well, I'm trying to! I've been working on the new hosta bed under the big pine. The first step was to pull over 100 little buckthorn seedlings, evil things. It's best to pull them from the roots while you can otherwise you will battle them forever cutting and spraying. Then I dug up and split a variety of hostas and dug new holes under the pine. It was a cool sunny day for working and the evening was just beautiful. Today I'm moving bark from our mulch pile and spreading that around. Some of the hostas are rather droopy looking but they'll pop back soon and very soon I will have an after picture for you. 
Here's a picture of Shari with her new baby, Daphne. This picture captures how much they love each other. Isn't it sweet?
Sorry, Ellen, the pictures I took of you with Daphne are on my phone and I haven't downloaded them yet. I'm sure I will post the one of you with her in the back seat!
Years ago, 10 maybe, I found this unframed chickadee sketch at a rummage sale for a dollar or so and I finally found the perfect frame for it. Dan and I were cleaning out his Fergus office early this spring and there was a framed document that he didn't want so I took it. It was the perfect size for this little chickadee. Shari noticed it this week and thought the matting complemented it nicely too. Whoever drew this captured the delightful spirit of the chickadee and that's why I love it. It sits just under the fireplace mantel.
This is kind of a before picture as it's just after Dan trimmed the lower branches that have been dying for some unknown reason in the last few years. They used to be full and healthy. Dan suspects the spraying in the ditches every year, but who knows. The top broke off in a storm a few years ago and that may have stressed the tree too. Anyway, I'm going to do a little gardening under this tree and when it's finished I'll post a new picture. I already hung up a cute birdhouse that Shari found for me at the Pengilly rummage sales with the help of her friend Carol.
It's a miracle-the sink is empty!! Actually it's a picture to show how the old schoolhouse light works in this area. It's fun when purchases like that work out and it took less than a year to get it in place-not bad.
This post is for my cousin Patty Plessner Ruth who passed away early Friday morning. She was only 45 years old. I have many happy childhood memories that involve Patty including swimming at the Madison pool, mud pies & oil soup, playing cafe in our kitchen/dining room, three-wheeling, visits to your family cabin on Pomme De Terre-learning to waterski & kick the can, embarrassing Kristi and her date by wearing her bras over our clothes, and spinning so hard on the mini merry-go-rounds at the Hoffman school that somebody even peed in their pants. Our moms were not pleased. You had a lot of fun ideas and many of our antics resulted in getting in trouble after Karen reported us! I am so sorry that you died so young and that your family is heartbroken. You raised two beautiful, smart daughters and I know how proud you were of them. You were a cherished wife, daughter, sister and of course a cousin to so many of us. I picture you in heaven with Grandma Anderson and that brings me some peace. Thank you for being a very special cousin and playmate. We will miss you. 
Well, I'm officially off the school clock for the year but I will need to return tomorrow for a few hours. I had some last minute drama with our grading system this afternoon but was able to get the job done the old fashioned way for the cumulative grades. We went until 11:15 with students this morning, a potluck and then meetings until 2pm. So not a lot of time for other essentials but enough whining. I get it all done tomorrow. It's hard to believe that the year is actually over. It was a good year and they always seem to go extra fast. I should mention that I got my 25 year pin today-yikes!!! I was the only one at that level and Louisa got her 30, none higher than that, she seemed shocked too. It will be 5 years before I suffer that embarrassment again. I know I should just be proud of it but it's hard not to feel old. :)
I love old maps and have used them for bulletin boards but never considered them for wallpaper. I like it in a small area.
