Great Parents!

I agree, Our parents, Neal,Irene, Harv and Molly are great parents. This time I am talking about someone else's parents.
Those parents are Gary and Karen. They are the parents of the very nice young man you see sitting on Sue's former bike. Yup, her bike is gone but it now resides in a home where the whole family rides. How great is that?





It was a perfect motorcycle for Sue and we NEVER had a bit of trouble with it. It's dependability was appreciated as we toured all over the Midwest and Ontario, Canada.

Here is something weird. The guy I sold my bike to several weeks ago was named Gary. When the new owner of Sue's bike called and asked about the bike I about flipped when he said his name was Gary.

I wish I had about ten more bikes to sell. Both bikes sold to the very first people who called about them.

It is hard to believe that it's back to work tomorrow already. We have been real busy getting ready for the rummage sale coming up Friday and Saturday. I also got all the branches and sticks picked up on the front property and applied crabgrass control and fertilizer. The grass is really green but not really growing fast....yet. A few warm days will change that I am sure.

We talked with our youngest son Andy this weekend. Andy lives in Seattle, WA and is a recording engineer and belongs to a band. They are going out on tour in a week or so with play dates in Washington, Oregon and California. I am sure they ill have a blast.

That is all for now. Check in again for another edition of "Now What Are They Doing?"

Welcome To Spring!

Yup...Your eyes are not deceiving you. That is snow...frozen water..white precipitation. Here it is, the end of April and we are getting this stuff. Arguffff!

The good part of it is that the plows came out and got the crap off the roads and the sun took care of the rest of it in short order.

We made a trip to our garbage drop off location this morning. Since we live in the country we don't have door to door garbage pickup. We take it to town and toss it in the truck between 8 and 10 AM for free. They take just about everything, including building materials.

As always...Click picture for a larger view.




We had another busy day preparing for next weekends rummage sale. We arrived at Sue's folks house this morning to load of the vehicles with rummage stuff to take out to our house. The doors were locked and the paper was still out in the box. We rang the doorbell several times and Harv answered the door still wearing his Batman pajamas. I am glad the neighbors did not have to see that!

I felt bad (not really) waking them like we did at the crack of ten.

We filled up two more vehicles with treasurers and headed home. We have another load or two to pick up then we can price and organize the precious goods.

I am hearing a rumor that we are going camping the weekend after next. I had better get busy and summerize the camper so it is ready for the season.

That is all for now. Stay tuned because maybe tomorrow there will be another edition of "Now What Are They Doing?"

Weather and Bike Update

If you have the privilege of living in Minnesota, you know that the weather can be beyond belief or comprehension. This year is no exception. Here it is, the end of April and parts of Minnesota are preparing for another slam from Mizz(stands for miserable) Mother Nature.

Flood Watch in effect through this evening...
Winter Storm Warning in effect from noon today to 6 am CDT Saturday...
Today
Breezy...snow. Daytime snow accumulation of 5 to 7 inches. Highs 35 to 40. North winds 15 to 25 mph.
» ZIP Code Detail
Tonight
Breezy. Snow in the evening...then snow likely after midnight. Overnight snow accumulation of 6 to 8 inches. Total snow accumulation 11 to 15 inches lows 23 to 28. North winds 15 to 25 mph becoming northwest 10 to 20 mph in the late evening and overnight

Now what is that all about!

We had 1.75 inches of rain yesterday and the creeks are really running. I snapped this picture of what is normally a tiny creek that usually is dry. Not this morning.



Good news about the sale of Sue's bike. I listed it on Craigslist yesterday and within 15 minutes I had a call on it. They came out last evening and looked at it and loved it. They put a deposit down on it and will pick it up the first nice day we have.

Now here is the weird part. I sold my bike about a month ago to a guy named Gary. The guy buying Sue's bike...his name? Gary! Now what are the chances of that happening?

So there were are. Tune in again for yet another edition of "Now What Are They Doing?"

Selling Sue's Pride and Joy

You might think that I am talking about HER dog Betty..you know, the not perfect one. Nope, I am talking about her Yamaha motorcycle.





I just listed it today on Craigslist and have already received three calls. I suspect the bike will be gone in a few days. If the weather ever warms up for more than a day at a time it will really sell fast. But, as you know, if you live around here, we get a nice day with sunshine and 70's then five days of rain, clouds, snow, wind and highs in the 40's or 50's. OK, enough ranting.

We are anxious to get the yard cleaned up. There just has not been the time or it was too cold out. I purchased two new blades for the mower deck on my tractor and hope to get the blower off and the mower on in a few days. That always makes short order of the leaves. Our oldest son Ben always helps with the conversion so I think some steaks on the grill and a few beers will send him this way. Not really, he is a good guy and doesn't require bribing.

We worked on setting up the garage sale again last night. This is going to be a big one with several households involved. The "event" will be Friday, May 2nd from 3-7PM and Saturday, May 3rd. from 8-11AM.

Tonight Sue's folks, Molly and Harv, are coming over for a perm and supper. Just Molly is getting the perm. Harv's hair is naturally curly so he does not need the help.



Nuff said for one day...Tune in again for another exciting edition of "Now What Are They Doing?"

Recovering

Don't be alarmed by the title of today's column. When I say recovering I mean more from the weather than anything else.

The entire seven days leading up to our huge rummage sale was supposed to be sunny and fairly warm. As the calendar turned each day, Mother Nature apparently forgot to listen to the forecast for the day. The weather gurus would say one thing and the actual weather would be just the opposite....COLD.

So Friday rolled around with clouds, high winds and temps in the low 40's. Saturday was supposed to be sunny and 70 but it was cloudy and 52. What gives?

How would you like to have a pretty good paying job that would pay you for being wrong more than 50% of the time? If so, become a meteorologist.

Anyway, The sale on Friday and Saturday went great. We met lots of noce people and sold a lot of stuff.

We are going to do it again Friday and Saturday, May 2 and 3. We have some left over items and have started to haul some of Sue's folks items over for the sale.

This should be even bigger than last weeks sale.

Ben and his wife Anna have returned from sunny Florida. They had a great time. You can read about the trip and see some great pictures on his blog.

That is it for now. Tune in again for another edition of "Now What Are They Doing?"

Some Of This And Some Of That

By the title of today's blog topic, you are probably able to ascertain that it will be something like the famous Minnesota Hot dish....some of this and some of that.

We are very busy getting ready for the "downsizing sale". I just can't believe all the "stuff" we have collected/hoarded over the years. We have two buildings FULL of stuff to get rid of and I don't think we have even scratched the surface yet.

The weather here is finally starting to take a turn for the better. It should as we are half way through April already. Yesterday was VERY windy with gusts up to 55 mph. Oh well, statistically April is the windiest month.



Looking back through some pictures recently, I discovered a few more shots we took on our motorcycle trip from Minnesota through Wisconsin, Michigan, Ontario and back home. It was a fantastic 2100 miles with breathtaking scenery.



I sure am glad I pulled a trailer behind my bike. We really did have all the conveniences of home.



Speaking of trailers. I found a beautiful trailer resort. It MAY be kind of a red neck place, but none the less I am sure the folks are friendly!



That is all for now. I sure do hope you come back tomorrow for another version on "Now What Are They Doing?"

What Were They Thinking...Or Were They?

Do you ever wonder if people think before they do something. Sad to say, but I think many people don't.

Now don't get me wrong, we all do stupid stuff occasionally, but I would think that most people would catch these mistakes.







And these people run businesses?

I ran across another picture the other day that I was impressed with.



Like all my pictures, you can click the picture to increase the size.

That is a picture of 18,000 soldiers at Camp Dodge (near Des Moines, IA) taken in 1918.

As you may know, we are having a HUGE "downsizing" rummage sale at Coyote Ridge this Friday and Saturday. All of you are invited to show up with your quarters.

Stop in again tomorrow for another exciting version of "Now What Are They Doing".

Why Boys Need Parents

Have you ever heard the old saying "Boys will be boys"? Well, I think I have a pictorial explaining exactly why that is true. Not that girls don't do these things, I just think boys do them more often and like the attention. I am trying to stay within political correctness here. How did I do?

Well anyway, I thought you might enjoy these pictures.








Did you ever wonder how we survived childhood? Lead paint never seemed to bother us!

Tune in again tomorrow for another episode of " Now What Are They Doing?"

Dodged The Bullet & A trip Into The Past

In yesterday's blog I mentioned (whined) about the snow we had in the weather forecast. Well, we dodged the bullet again. It all went North of us. We just had rain, thunder, lightning and high winds. Our neighbors to the North have 14 inches and another five inches of the white headache to deal with.

I ran across a few pictures the other day I wanted to pass along to you. If you recognize them then you already belong to AARP or will very soon be joining!

















Well there we go. How old does that make you feel? That was not my intention at all. What I did realize was how much more simple things appeared back then. Candy cigarettes! Not any more! Twenty-five cent gasoline? Never again. Green stamps...Hmmm, does that have anything to do with a green card? Plop-Plop-Fizz-Fizz- Oh what a relief it is. Enough said.

I have a feeling that most of this weekend will be spent preparing for our huge rummage sale Friday and Saturday, April 18th and 19th. I sure hope the weather gets out of the 30's by then so we can have those hungry rummage people dig through our treasures.

Tune in again tomorrow for another edition of "Now What Are They Doing?".

Meet The Girls

You may have read about "The Girls" in previous posts and I thought it would be a good idea to formally introduce them to you via pictures.

They are both Rat Terriers and not related to each other. Betty is smaller than Lucy and most people think that Lucy is the mother.

These dogs are known for their hunting ability and have a grand time with chipmunks, squirrels, mice and rabbits. They work as a team with brutal results at times.

Lucy, the perfect one, is about eight years old and a great companion. She is very mellow and one would be hard pressed to know she was even around.

Meanwhile, her seven year old "sister" Betty, the not perfect one, is FULL of energy and loves Mom's (Sue's) attention during most waking hours. Betty is the better hunter and is usually the one who goes in for the kill. She makes quite a production of the act and usually drops her prey at Sue's feet waiting to be congratulated.

And now...the pictures.

Betty



Lucy



I am sure more pictures will pop up here from time to time as they are definitely part of our lives.

The weather outside is frightful. Hey isn't that a Christmas song? It is not December but instead almost mid-April. We have five to seven inches of snow in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow. The good part is that we have 60 degree temperatures forecast for next week and it will all disappear.

Stay tuned for yet another edition of " Now What Are They Doing?"

Harv-Molly And Mickey

If you have been reading this blog for any length of time you have met Sue's parents Molly and Harv...at least you have met them via the printed word. Now it is time to introduce them via pictures with their beloved sidekick Mickey.




We are all very attached to out pets and it is no exception here, especially with Harv and his dog. There is a real bond there and the two are almost inseparable.

Harv and Molly brought their little peanut over last night to visit and bathe Mickey. Sue absolutely loves dogs and is always willing to do most anything pet related.

During our visit we also made some more plans for our trip out east this Spring. We are heading for Pennsylvania, Harv's home state, and plan on seeing many different areas on our journey to and from.

That is all for now. Tune in again tomorrow for another edition of "Now What Are They Doing?"

Coyotes Everywhere

Yup, you read the headline correctly. The brush dogs are really singing out here at Coyote Ridge. The night before last we were standing out on the back deck at sundown and were serenaded by at least twenty of the beautiful creatures.

First we heard a yip howl from one coyote then like magic, the others started in howling at the top of their lungs. This kept up for at least ten minutes. It was absolutely amazing in that several packs of them were stationed all around our property. It was like someone had distributed our home theatre equipment in a 360 degree circle in the woods around us.

Yesterday morning, just after sunrise, we were standing out on the front driveway and watched a lone coyote cross the county road, run through the plowed field then into our woods where it slowed down to a slow jog as if it was inviting us to watch it's journey to the safety of cover. It really strut it's stuff and we enjoyed it tremendously.

This morning we were stationed in the same spot at the same time and again enjoyed a howling concert by a pack of 4-5 of the furry singers.

We really enjoy the coyotes but are keenly aware that they do enjoy eating small dogs we we are careful when we let the girls (dogs) out.

Here are some pictures for you to enjoy.







Thanks for stopping in. Come back tomorrow for another edition of " Now What Are They Doing?"

My Goodness, 30 Inches of Snow & Goodbye Tiller

One of our friends and avid blog reader, Angela, commented this past weekend that they were getting heavy snow Sunday. On the way into work today I heard that some parts of Northern Minnesota received 30 inches of the white plague. Angela lives WAY up north. It's not the end of the world, but I think she can see it from there.

You may recall me writing about the sale of my bike Saturday. Well now, as of yesterday, our garden tiller is gone. Some nice folks from Owatonna, MN purchased it and picked it up last evening. One may think that we are trying to get rid of all of our gasoline powered machines. I can assure you, that is not the case. We are downsizing our garden and did not need that big earth chewer.




I think I have the selection of a handheld GPS figured out. I am ordering one this week and am looking forward to pouring over the 100 page "quick start" guide.

More later.