On Sunday evening Husband took our terriers for their third walk of the day. They have rather elaborate hair styles, with skirts, beards, long brows, short hair on back and tail, and longer, curly hair on their chests and legs. They have short legs with long bodies that are pretty close to the ground.
Husband is usually careful to only walk them on paved paths and not let them stray into long grass. They both got into some longer grass Sunday night though, as Husband gave some other walkers wide berth as they passed one another. He doesn’t want the dogs to jump on other people. The grass was full of tiny burrs the size of BB’s that stuck to the dogs’ coats in every place imaginable. It was impossible to brush them out as they stuck so securely.
Boommate is a former vet tech and also worked for a groomer for a while. She came to the rescue with a small electric clipper. Husband and I held the dogs securely while she patiently cut the burrs out of their fur. The dogs were very unhappy being manhandled and restrained. She said she had encountered these burrs before, and they can cause severe problems if animals ingest them or get them stuck in their mouth or throat.
After about an hour of clipping and brushing, the dogs were burr free. In the event this happens again I ordered a portable dog grooming table for easier management. The dogs go to their regular groomer next week so they can get their coats all evened out and trimmed.
Who has come to your rescue? Any incidents of burrs or stickers on you or your pets?
During Covid, once I got un-furloughed, YA and I were both working from home – she was fulltime and I was half-time. She had a desk in her room with the big monitor and I had my big monitor in my studio. Most days I moved the big monitor onto the floor in the corner so I could use my desk for crafts. YA left her big monitor up on her desk all the time.
When I retired (and permanently excised the big monitor from my studio), YA began to do her work-from-home Mondays and Fridays from the dining room. The big monitor in her room didn’t get turned on for MONTHS. It was occasionally problematic with her in the dining room. She is very sensitive to background noise when she is on calls so if I doing anything downstairs (like cooking), it bugged her. And me.
About two months ago she casually mentioned that we should probably get rid of the old day bed in what we call the sunroom. It’s a small room, windows on three sides – no closet. Since I’ve been slowly but steadily de-cluttering the house, I probably said “uh huh” and nodded my head. Then about a week later, she said that she’d like to make the sunroom into a home office. The light bulb about the day bed flashed on at that point.
We had to take the day bed apart to get it to the boulevard. The city took it off our hands in three different trucks over three different days and then YA went to work. Cleaned, vacuumed, moved her desk into the new office and positioned the big monitor front and center. Then of course, she had to fill the empty space in her room – more cleaning and vacuuming. The little vanity that she moved looked swamped so off she went to IKEA and came home with a new vanity. It looks good.
The little old vanity sat on the boulevard for about 45 minutes before somebody stopped and scooped it up.
The curtain fiasco took about a week since first the curtain rods she ordered didn’t work and then the first set of curtains was too short. I think, as of this writing, she’s all set. Friday will be the inauguration of the office so we’ll see how it goes. Hopefully I won’t make too much noise in the bathroom if I keep the bathroom door shut!!
Have you ever worked from home? What would be a necessity for you in a home office?
I’m pretty sure that if you asked YA if she would want anything about me changed, the top of the list would be “stop talking to strangers”.
I admit to this freely. No big, long conversations; most of my talks to strangers are one-off comments, usually having to do with whatever situation I find myself in with strangers. Lots of “beautiful dog” or “cute dog” or “does your dog like to say hi” or “does your dog like to be petted”. YA was mortified about a month ago when I rolled down the car window to call out to someone that their Irish Setter was gorgeous. I have a friend in Wisconsin who can start a friendship with anybody she meets; I’ve been with her when she got name/phone/address with a stranger we met at the zoo. I’ve told YA she should be lucky she’s got me. This has never mollified her.
Waiting on line for the State Fair Park `n Ride buses is the exception to my short yakking with strangers. We’re all there for the same reason. We all have stories to tell about various parking/bus situations. It’s always interesting to find out where people are from (we met someone from San Diego this year) and there’s usually good information to be had about foods and entertainment. YA has to admit that even she has taken part in these bus-line conversations.
So I felt completely exonerated yesterday morning while Freya and I were walking along in Tangletown. I woman drove by, slowed down, rolled down her window and called out “beautiful dog” before driving away. I felt like I had met one of my people!
Do you still say “rolled down the window” or “I typed my answer”? Better yet, do you talk to strangers when you’re out and about?
We got to see the Emergency Services folks at the Fair in action again this year – NOT FOR ME.
It was last Saturday, a seriously crowded day. YA and I were feeling very lucky to have scored seats on the bench across Al’s to enjoy our malts when suddenly a man about 8 feet from us fell into the street. Neither of us actually saw why he fell, just the fall itself. I was just about to set my malt down and go over but immediately there were at least 8 folks surrounding him. It made me think of a scene from one of my favorite films People Will Talk. Cary Grant has taken over the lecture hall of another professor and during his talk, Jeanne Crain gets dizzy, faints and falls off her chair into the aisle. All the other medical students jump up to help. Cary Grant’s line is “Get back, get back. Quiet down, quiet down. A group of Cub Scouts would know better than to crowd like this”. I stayed put.
I suspected from YA’s rapt expression that we were going to sit there until the situation was resolved, one way or the other. When I asked her if this was the case, she nodded, not taking her eyes off the scene. So I settled in.
One of the people who had jumped in to help immediately was the woman who had been sitting next to me on the bench. She knelt down next to the guy as they got him sitting up. You could see her talking to him calmly; she kept a hand on his back the whole time. She never seemed to lose her composure and when the first (and then second, third and fourth) set of emergency services guys showed up, she was the one communicating with them. I said to YA “she must be a nurse”. YA agreed.
At first we had thought maybe heat stroke but then we saw the guy holding and rubbing his left shoulder – was it a heart attack? Then YA heard someone say that the guy had landed on his new shoulder – he has just had shoulder replacement a few weeks back. Ouch. There were four different sets of emergency folks who came to the scene – it took quite some time to make their way through the crowds, even with lights going. They also were calm and assured; they asked questions, took vitals and eventually they were able to trundle the guy onto one of their gators and whisk him off. Well, whisk probably isn’t the right word, considering the crowds.
I talked to the woman who had been attending to him and she confirmed that she was indeed a nurse. I knew it. Anyway, I told her that I had thought so based on her actions and I thanked her for her service. Turns out that May 12 is International Nurses’ Day – I’m thinking we should have more than one of those celebrations a year. So thanks to those of you on the Trail who are nurses or spent your career nursing – seeing one of your legion in action was really great.
Tell me about a nurse who made a difference to you!
It was a work at the college, work at home, Some travel, and some storms kinda week.
Last weekend Kelly and I prepped the spot for concrete. Just working ahead to have it ready. I rented the plate compactor, picked it up on Friday, and, like so many things, it goes better the second time around. Last year, when I rented it the first time, it kicked my butt. But now that I know how to run it and how it really only goes one direction, it was like walking a dog. Just pull it around by the leash / handle. I did a better job scraping out dirt, and adding gravel. Using the laser level and a stick with marks on it, Kelly and I raked and shoveled, and compacted, and checked and added more or scraped a little bit out. So it’s “level”, meaning within a 1/2” one way or the other, which is good enough for the base.
Ben walking the dog
Kelly pushing the dog
Kelly is feeling my muscles.
Just need to get the rebar laid in there, and wired together, and a form on the open South side. The other three sides are against existing concrete so they’ll get a barrier glued them, to allow for frost movement if needed. All of that will happen next week. Got concrete planned for the 11th.
On Sunday I moved all the round bales of straw. Something wasn’t adjusted right and twice I lost a bale off the back lift when going up a hill. I tried to adjust the bracket, but I didn’t have a big enough wrench in the tractor and I just tried not to go up the hill at such an angle. We managed. So here is a bunch of pictures of that process.
Rear carrrier
Front spear
Net wrap
A comment was made last week about the long rows of white plastic bales. That’s a bit different system. This is called ‘Net wrap’ and it does shed some water from rain. Sometimes the hay will be baled when it’s still green and wet and then, to prevent mold, it has to be sealed, oxygen free, in those white tubes, or individually wrapped in white plastic. Takes special machines to wrap the bales individually or in the tube. And if wrapped separately, the farmer would use a sort of ‘squeezer’ on the front of the loader to pick up the bales with out poking holes in the plastic. Silage, or haylage, or even shelled corn can be stored in those white tubes. Animals or hail can cause holes and that’s a problem of course, because then you’re gonna get mold.
Early Wednesday morning about 1:30AM a heck of a storm blew through. We knew there was a chance of rain, but holy cow, this was coming sideways through the open windows. Got them closed and there was a crackling noise. I thought Kelly was doing something and I asked her what that was and then there was a CRACK and large tree branch was down on the deck. Missed the house by “this much”. We were all awake anyway, because, well, we’re idiots. I think there are a couple chairs on the deck under that branch. And maybe a metal deck table.
The deck is under this.
Considering we’re flying out at 5:30 AM, I figure I better go check the road for other trees. The rain was letting up so I get in the car and head up the road and i don’t make it about 100 yards before there’s a large branch blocking the road. OK, back for the tractor. Oh. Power had gone off too. Figures. I’m out in the shed with a flashlight, unlocking the doors and sliding the doors open and I can hear the tornado sirens going off. And I’m about to get in the tractor and head up the road. Good thinking Ben.
Looks like a good time to head out…Good Job Ben.
I clear the first branch, then up to the woods, and there’s a couple small branches down, and only one large tree blocking the road. I move it enough that we can get out. Then back home, and sit in the dark for another hour and we finally all get up and head to the airport. Flying out of RST is always easy. It’s a small airport and at 4AM security is easy. Up to MSP and I made a few phone calls and sent some emails to other township supervisors about the situation. We have a really good tree service the township uses, Olson’s, and they were out first thing clearing the roads. When I talked to the owner on Thursday he said there wasn’t a lot of devastation, it was just such a widespread area. And for the people complaining he hadn’t picked up the pile of brush on the shoulders yet, he’s trying to get tree’s off people houses first! Add in the holiday weekend, and he’s got crews leaving for the holiday, and they’re doing what they can. Our power came back on about 8 AM according to the electric coop website. Our friends who are house sitting had to reboot the router for the internet a few times but I guess we’re back in action. I’ve heard there are some corn fields that are flat. Like steam roller flat. Beans looked a little rough, from what I could see in the dark, but they should be OK. And there was some hail, but that missed us too I guess. I take out a hail policy on the crops and that has paid out a few times. Guess I don’t need it this time.
It’s been so dry here this summer that hint of possible precipitation gets me all worked up. So, when there was a forecast for rain for yesterday morning, I was happy to hear it, even if it meant getting a bit damp doing my errands. When it didn’t rain… well, grumpy-city!
Time to cave and set up the sprinkler. I did the backyard first and about 20 minutes later, as I was putting something in the recycling on the back porch, I looked out the back door and saw a good handful of sparrows having a frolic! It was so cute. Unfortunately I didn’t get a good picture – the dog barked before I could get a shot. But here is a video that looked a lot like the scene in the back:
(This is a bit long for what it is… won’t hurt my feelings if you don’t watch it all the way through!) I’m not sure why I was so taken with this. Maybe because we are barraged on all sides daily with such ugliness, seeing something sweet and unspoiled is even more special. I know, I’m getting a bit mawkish here, but it was just one of days!
Anything sweet and unspoiled to report in your world this week?
When my baby sister was 14 and coming up to visit me for a week, I slept in line overnight to get Bon Jovi tickets. When I had to renew my drivers’ license (and had waited too late to get an appointment), I hit the AAA office at 6 a.m. to get one of the 75 walk-in slots. The office opened at 9; when I got there at 6, I wasn’t the first in line! You all know I’ve sat outside of Aldis in the past, in the cold for 3+ hours for the wine advent calendar.
But the lines at the State Fair stop me cold. I think I told the story about YA standing in the donut line last year; the donut concession has upgraded to a building (they were in an RV before) but the line still runs all the way down the street and looks to be at least an hour wait. Pickle Pizza has opened a second outlet which helps a bit but yesterday at noon, the main outlet had two massive lines, each going in opposite directions.
Last Saturday YA and went up to the Ag building first thing to see the crop art. We clearly weren’t the only folks who had this thought. We got there about 8:30 (exhibit opens at 9) and there was a considerable line. Then a staff person came out to re-direct where the line was forming. She said that the “come early” thought must have gone viral because the long lines had formed every morning so far; where we were standing was most likely going to be a 2-hour wait.
And then there are the Apple Fries. This is a new food at the fair this year and they’ve gotten good reviews, but the lines go down the street and around the corner. We’ve read on line that most folks are waiting over an hour to get them.
Not sure if I’ll see crop art this year. I’m betting money I won’t be getting Apple Fries either. YA has waited for donuts and Pickle Pizza, but not me. Even if I had a stadium chair (like when I waited at Aldis and AAA), I’m not sure I’d want to waste so much time of my State Fair day waiting in line! Hopefully some day in the future, the line for Apple Fries will be shorter!
A couple of weeks back, a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to go see the world-premiere of Rebel with a Clause at the Main Cinema downtown. I’d never heard of this but my friend is a writer, super funny and super curious and super intelligent so without so much as even “bing-ing” it, I bought ticket online and that Sunday, off we went.
Explaining it doesn’t even begin to do it justice, so here is the trailer:
It was SO funny, mostly because the idea of her quest is funny and a lot of the folks in the clips were hilarious but also because the audience was also hysterical. The movie is split up into chapters. For example, The Comma was a bunch of clips about comma questions. In fact, when “Commas” came up on the screen, there was a huge reaction/laugh/groan from the audience. Clearly grammar and usage hit a spot for many people and the audience obviously knew what those hot spots are! This happened several times.
I have never been what you would call a stickler for grammar but for most of my adult life I’ve lamented about the sad state of English. Even having studied Shakespeare and Chaucer and knowing that English has evolved, I stood my ground. And then I had one of those life-changing reads. The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way by Bill Bryson (what a great title too). He was so effective in mapping out the path of our language that by the final page, I was completely converted. The grammar that we were taught in school really is just arbitrary made-up rules and communicating is what’s important, not whether we’re splitting infinitives or not. (And I’m really hawking his book – interesting and funny.)
This doesn’t mean that I have thrown grammar to the wind. I still like to speak well and I certainly appreciate it when someone uses the subjunctive correctly. I also still cringe when people mis-use reflexive pronouns, which seems to be more often than not these days. But overall, I’m trying to let all that go.
Ellen Jovin clearly comes down on the side of not holding people’s feet to the fire over their use of grammar even though she really knows her topic. (This is not a spoiler alert by the way.) Turns out that in addition to setting up her Grammar Table, eventually, in all 50 states, she also wrote a book about the experience. I have it on hold at the library.
So…. (VS acknowledges she is using the ellipses incorrectly) I’m highly recommending both Mother Tongue and Rebel with a Clause. And, if you’re here in the Twin Cities, the movie will be showing again at The Main Cinema on September 21 and September 24. Highly recommended!!
Do you remember learning grammar in school? Any grammar rule/s that you feel warmly about?
For years I wore my State Fair t-shirts to work in August – a different one each day up until opening day. But then, for some reason, I never wore any of them TO the Fair. I’m not sure why and I’ll admit I never really thought it was weird. I have a nice number of flowy, tunic-like tops (you Blevins folks have probably seen all of them) and I usually wore those during fair days.
Then this year, I had several dirty projects the first week of August and didn’t wear any of my fair shirts. This made me think about my pattern and I decided to wear fair shirt to the fair. Radical I know.
On Saturday, I wore my newest fair shirt (above) in addition to a pair of earrings I found last year at a little shop in the Grandstand:
I don’t think I’ve ever unintentionally drawn so much attention to myself. From the time we got in line for the Park `n Ride bus until we got back to the parking lot (about 8 hours), 13 people commented on my shirt, 2 on the earrings. All positive comments. And after a few of the remarks, I started to realize that a lot of folks were noticing the shirt, even if they didn’t say anything. It was weird and surprising since only two people had said anything about the shirt I wore on Thursday. And one of them was at the Star Tribune booth; the shirt was a Steve Sachs design…
I met a gal later in the afternoon wearing the same shirt and we had a quick conversation about the shirt and she said she had experienced the same thing I had. I suppose the colorful corn dogs on the black background make it stand out more than most fair t-shirt designs. The great irony is that I don’t even eat corn dogs! Haven’t even tried the vegan one at the fair yet!
Wonder if I’ll get a lot of comments when I wear the corn design shirt with the dangly ear of corn earrings?
Do you have any items of clothing that have gotten remarks?
I read with great amusement this weekend about the deportation of Milo Yiannopolous, the right-wing rabble rouser described as a Provacateur. That French word made what he does, which is disgusting, seem so exciting and mysterious.
I wondered if he listed “Provacateur” as his official job description on legal documents and his British Income Tax returns. My father could have described himself as a Provacateur. He loved lively conversation in his coffee shop, and loved teasing and vexing his buddies who held different political beliefs than he did. I had to promise him on his death bed that I would include his signed photo of Hilary Clinton in the slide show at his funeral lunch. He wanted one last dig at his Republican friends. Heaven for him would be in a fishing boat with Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin, and Billy Graham.
I think we should all start describing our vocations in French. Husband and I would be Psychologues. I don’t know the past vocations of all Baboons, but I know we have a Travailleuse Sociale (social worker), an Infirmiere Diplomee (registered nurse), a Poseur de Moquette (carpet layer), a Publicitaire (advertising professional), a Joueuse de Mandolin and Chanteuse (mandolin player and singer), an Auteur (author), a l’Agriculteur (farmer), a Technicien Lumiere (theatre lighting technician) and a Touche-a-tout (jack of all trades). Maybe we would all get paid more with such fancy job titles!
What is the French word for different jobs you have had? Would you enjoy being a Boulevardiere, Maitre d’hote, Danseuse, Raconteur, Flaneur, Sommelier, or some other French occupation?
Trail Baboon 