Glimpses of Life – Page 58

Mosquito Death in Minnesota

The first West Nile Virus death this year in Minnesota occurred a couple of days ago. Click hereÂ to read the article.

And just yesterday morning my mother was admonishing me about working in our 1/2 acre that is mostly brush and trees as mosquitoes can be present. She reminded me of the West Nile Virus that is taking people’s lives as mosquitoes transmit their disease to humans. Am I careful? Yes, I am, although even when I’m careful by using DEET on all exposed parts of my body, the mosquitoes sometimes find one small spot that I miss. They are able to find me by the smell of carbon dioxide that I emit when I breathe. Well, I do have to breathe …

Searching the internet for something more “natural” to put on my body that doesn’t have side effects, I came upon an idea that I thought I’d try. Â Garlic. Â Apparently mosquitoes don’t like the smell of garlic so I have been making a paste to rub on my body.

I have been using my homemade potion for a couple of weeks and it works just as well as DEET does. I still spray DEET on the bottom of my pants and shoes to keep away any tics that might be in the area (although we have only seen one this year). Have I gotten bitten using the garlic? Yes. I was bitten twice yesterday in places where I did not rub the garlic on my body. I don’t know if it matters whether you use fresh garlic or ground garlic but I have tried both and they have the same effect although the ground garlic is less trouble to use.

Some people say the garlic doesn’t work for them and they use Skin So Soft by Avon. And, as you can imagine, there are a lot more suggestions out there. If I find something that works (that’s not going to kill me) then I’ll stick with it until it stops working. This solution isn’t for everyone and one day the only thing that may work against mosquitoes is a chemical solution. That’s when I might have to move to a less buggy part of the United States.

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My New Saw

Another cool day in Minnesota. For me that means lots of YARD WORK. I hired the neighbor boy to come help move the woodpile from the back of the property to the side of the property so it will be easier to access when winter comes. I can’t wait to use the fireplace again. It’s so pretty!

While the woodpile was being taken care of, I went to the garage and took out my new 21 inchÂ Friskars Bow Pruning Saw that I purchased last evening at Home Depot.

Notice the orange warning “Aggressive Cuts.” I certainly hope so as I can’t cut a large branch with a “non aggressive” cut.

This bow saw cut magnificently! The cuts were sharp and clean and it didn’t take me long to cut up a few branches. I think I may have even grown a muscle. Â hahahaha

The blade is replaceable which is really good as we have quite a few branches that fall throughout the year and the pruner just doesn’t work as well. All this for less than $10! I literally felt giddy as I left Home Depot with my new tool.

Maybe I should buy some flannel shirts so I can look like a real lumber, uh, woman. Â haha

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The Spider

With cooler Minnesota weather, I can now sit in the screened-in porch and enjoy fresh air, wildlife and the quietness that surrounds us.

As I lay back on my chair, content as a bee with nectar in its mouth, I looked up at the ceiling and saw it. Â “It” was a large black spider measuring 3-4 inches from the tip of one leg to the tip of its other leg. Instead of getting up and hooting and hollering, I watched as it just sat there as if it were dead. I knew better though — it was alive and would eventually be discontent sitting motionless.

My husband was sitting directly across from me unaware of the danger in the room. Well, okay, it COULD be dangerous. I cautiously rose from my chair and circled to the other side of the room where I informed him of what lay overhead.

Now it was time to investigate how much danger we were in. With iPad in hand, I scoured the internet for images of this newfound creature who had made its way into our peaceful abode.

I immediately eliminated the black widow and brown recluse spiders (both poisonous) from my list. At first I thought it might be an orb weaver and had it been that species I would have been delighted as they eat mosquitoes. Upon further examination (magnifying the images I was comparing) it does not appear to be an orb weaver.

Perhaps a grass spider? Similar but the grass spider only grows to one inch.

So I am left to ponder what this spider is. Â Any arachnoid experts out there?

As I left the porch to make dinner, my husband took a broom and swatted the spider off the ceiling then chased it out the door. Â Yeah! for a husband who handles the icky things in life for me.

Question: What do you do with the spiders in your house? Do you kill them or do you take them outdoors so they can die naturally?

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Big Marine Lake Park – North

On Sabbaths we sometimes look for a new park to explore and that is how we found Big Marine Lake Park – North. It’s a little out of the way for us but the drive north is beautiful and was well worth it.

Big Marine Lake - North — Big Marine Lake – North

So far, the parks we have visited have been very clean and this one was no exception.

Big Marine Park - North — Big Marine Lake Park – North

One of the first things we saw when we entered was a moss filled pond. The deep green colors look so beautiful on the water and make it appear as if you can walk on it.

The park also has areas with tall grasses.

The day we visited was pleasant with blue skies, low humidity and temperatures in the low 80’s. A “normal” Minnesota day — so I’m told by the locals. So where were all the people? What I’ve slowly learned is that living in a State with over 10,000 lakes means that people have more options of where to go so the parks are not crowded. There were a few families at the children’s playground which is very nice and has more than ample room for children to run around.

Children's Playground — Children’s Playground

My husband and I then drove to the beach which was beautiful, had two lifeguards and two children swimming in the water.

Next to the beach was a wetland and throughout the park we kept seeing these beautiful yellow birds flying around. Anyone know what they are?

Minnesota parks all seem to have fishing piers and this park was no exception. I walked to the end of the pier and spoke with a couple of fishermen there. They had caught a few fish but they were small and had thrown them back in the water.

The really nice thing I liked about this park is that the trails are paved so you don’t have to struggle to get through brush and dirt to get to your destination.

Since summer is still in full swing, the flowers are still blooming.

Another Minnesota park explored with so many more to go. If you like water then Minnesota is the place to live.

Note: Click here to go to the Washington County Big Marine Lake Park website.

A Cool Down

I haven’t posted much lately because we are experiencing a much needed cool-down in temperatures in Minnesota soÂ I’ve been spending a lot of time outdoors after being cooped up for almost a month because of the hot weather, humidity and high dew points.

My attention is now directed to the 1/2 acre in the back of our property although I had told myself that I wouldn’t start that project until next year. Â Walking the property to see what needs to be done, all I can say is “Ugh.” Â There is so much work to do in the back that I’m not quite sure where to start.

I pulled weeds for a couple hours then stepped back to see what it looked like and it didn’t seem like I had done anything at all. Â I am now starting to pull up some small bushes and trees that are growing wild. This could take forever …

The two neighbor teens I have been using to help me have not been around much this summer so I think it’s time to find other “workers.” I hope to work in the backyard off and on as long as I can before autumn arrives along with its showers of daily leaves.

The rains come back today and tomorrow so I will have a little bit of rest from my outdoor physical labor. And the bugs have been cooperating even if I was bitten by mosquitoes three (3) times — Â not bad for working outdoors a few mornings this month.

Has anyone ever cleared a large area of brush like this before and if so, do you have any helpful hints on how to work efficiently without calling in the professionals?

(Oh — The picture you see as my header is of a flower called knautia macedonica. It was growing wild in the front yard of one of my friends who lives in Seattle. I found the flower quite pretty and asked my friend what it was called. Since he didn’t know, he headed to the nursery to find out what it was called as his family had not planted it. Knautia macedonica – quite a name for such a beautiful flower. Â I don’t know if we’ll be able to grow it in Minnesota as a perennial considering how cold it gets here but I’m hoping to get some seeds in the spring and plant them in one of the two sunny areas we have on the property).Â

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The Stillwater Bridge

After dinner at the Green Room in Stillwater, Minnesota, my husband and I walked over to see the Stillwater bridge that had just started to go up to allow water traffic to pass. In our year+ time since we moved to Minnesota, this is the first time we’d seen the bridge go up.

It was such a beautiful evening for walking around the small town of Stillwater.

On the other side of the St. Croix River is the state of Wisconsin. We almost bought a house right across this bridge but thought better of it as a new bridge is going to be built and the new highway would have brought much noise to the neighborhood Â — not to mention the initial traffic congestion. Right now, when we go to Stillwater for dinner, traffic is backed up because of people who need to cross the bridge to get into Wisconsin.

Resting peacefully next to the water were a family of geese.

With all the geese in Minnesota one woud think there would be more of them dead on the roadway as I’ve been told by a local to just “run them over.” Eeekkkk! Â I don’t think I could do that although they can get in the way when I’m driving causing dangerous conditions.

Minnesota … a different way of living.

Birthdays

Another birthday has come and gone.

We couldn’t find a good coconut cake and my husband wasn’t up to baking a yellow cake with chocolate icing so we bought a cheesecake. Plain, simple and rich.

Interesting that I’ve got two out of those three characteristics — plain and simple. Â (laughing) Â I don’t have the rich part though. Maybe when I’m really really old someone will die and leave me a whole bunch of money. Problem is I don’t know anyone with bunches of money so the chances of that happening are pretty much nil. And if I get it when I’m really really old then what will I do with it? Â Ahhh well …

Who needs money anyway? If we have enough to live on that’s really all that matters. That’s my wisdom for the day.

Main Floor Bathroom Remodel

After 4 months or so, our main floor bathroom remodel is finally completed. It took a month for the granite countertop to be ready for pickup and then we waited for our much-abled but inexpensive contractor to come and complete the project.

What we did:

Removed the wallpaper
Replaced the countertop, faucet, toilet, light fixture, shower rod, exhaust fan, and floor moldings
Primed and painted the walls and ceiling
Sanded and re-varnished the cabinet doors
“Waxed” the shower stall tiles
Added a new towel ring and towel bar
Patched the wall behind the toilet
Added new cabinet hardware

Here are pictures of “before” the remodel:

The toilet fitting had a leak so that’s why the wall had to be repaired.

Here are pictures of “after” the remodel:

The cabinet doors were worn on the edges. A friend told me that since they are not “real” wood (they are veneer) I could gently sand them with 220 grit sandpaper then use a clear varnish on them. Instead of doing the edges only I did both doors and it worked wonders. (Now I need to refrain from going through the house and re-varnishing all the doors and cabinets that have the same problem. That’s a good project for the winter months.)

One of the contractors who came out suggested I “wax” the shower tiles as it keeps the scum off them so there’s less cleaning involved AND they look a little shinier and newer. I thought this was a great idea and it didn’t take long to do it.

I had received bids on upgrading the upstairs guest bathroom a few months ago and doing something similar although I was replacing the linoleum tile in that room. Their projected costs (including supplies) was about $7000 and that is IF we gave them the contract to have the master bathroom remodeled also.

The labor cost to have the main bathroom done was around $450. We picked up the the countertop, toilet, exhaust fan, light fixture and the other miscellaneous items. Our contractor picked up any plumbing, electrical and wood supplies he needed and those were included in the $450 cost.

Not bad, eh? The saying “you get what you pay for” doesn’t apply in our case. Our contractor (who currently owns a painting company) is a handy person on the side. He used to own an electrical company that dispatched electricians throughout Minnesota. So, he’s a jack-of-all-trades.

Because he is so busy with his current jobs, we can’t hire him to do our master bathroom. BUT, he is willing to do the upstairs guest bathroom for us. That one will be a similar project but we’ll need to have new tiles, a new floor and a new tub installed so costs will be higher I’m sure.

Another “new house” project to check off. Â Now to find some nice pictures for the walls …

Jerry Sandusky

There have been so many articles written regarding Gerald (Jerry) Sandusky, the former Penn State University football coach who was found guilty of sexual abuse, that I hesitate to put my two cents worth into the discussion.

However, what I find lacking, except in very few instances, is discussion around how a Christian should react to Mr. Sandusky.

I haven’t found anyone, Christian or otherwise, who is not appalled by what has happened. Child abuse is such a horrible crime that I can’t wrap my brain around how anyone can abuse children.Â On this earth, we all look for justice as a means to punish the wrongs that society (people) commit and there is nothing wrong with that. What would our world look like if everyone was allowed to do as they pleased without any regard to the safety of others?

But what or who do I see when I look at Mr. Sandusky?

I am saddened to look at the face of this man whose inner thoughts or motives no one can possibly know — perhaps not even he can explain what happened. How does a person get to this point in their life? Was he in need of acceptance or power or did he have a mental disorder?

I know people will ask why I am not first saddened by what has happened to the victims — children at the time of the abuse. Don’t misunderstand what I am saying here. I am deeply saddened and troubled by what the victims have had to go through. But if Mr. Sandusky weren’t “defective” there would have been no victims.

And here is where I think the majority of people, including Christians, err in their thinking.

We are all defective. We like to think we are better than others but in reality we are not. I know no person who is perfect. The list of vices that we humans have is innumerable, i.e. cheating, gossiping, murder, rape, lust, lying, stealing, coveting, selfishness, etc.

Does my vice or defectiveness equal that of a child molester’s? Whose in charge of ranking the morality of society? Me? You? The government? The church?

As a Christian, I accept that I am a sinner along with everyone else in the world. What I am offered through the death of Christ is forgiveness of my sins, mercy, kindness and acceptance as a child of the Creator of the universe. I don’t take this gift lightly.

So how I view and treat my fellow travelers on this earth is important. I have to be able to impart the same gift to others that I have been given and have accepted. Is it easy? Absolutely not. I am prone to look at the actions of people since I cannot read their hearts.

I can’t read Mr. Sandusky’s heart — only God can so only He will be able to give true pardon or justice as He sees fit.

What I do know is that Mr. Sandusky, if he wants it, is offered the same gift that I am. And since I am a child of the God who provides that gift, I have to be able (through His strength) to offer it to my fellow travelers on this earth — including Mr. Sandusky.

I have had to forgive my own predators and place them in God’s hands for redemption.

So much heartache has been caused by Mr. Sandusky’s actions and lives will never be the same.

But dear reader, as we look at what is happening around us in the world, let us reflect on how our own thoughts and actions affect the people we rub shoulders with every day. Let us remember that we too have the power to lift up or tear down the lives of people around us. Like an old poem says “drop a pebble in the water, in a splash it is gone but there are hundreds little ripples circling on and on and on.”

May my, and your, influence build up and not tear down. And may God have mercy on us all as we travel in this pain-filled world.

Drop A Pebble In the Water

Drop a pebble in the water: just a splash and it is gone
But there’s half-a-hundred ripples circling on and on and on
Spreading, spreading from the center, flowing on out to the sea
And there’s no way of telling where the end is going to be.

Drop a pebble in the water: in a minute you forget
But there’s little waves a-flowing, and there’s ripples circling yet
And those little waves a-flowing to a great big wave have grown
You’ve disturbed a mighty river just by dropping in a stone

Drop an unkind work, or careless: in a minute it is gone
But there’s half-a-hundred ripples circling on and on and on
They keep spreading, spreading, spreading from the center as they go
And there is no way to stop them once you’ve started them to flow

Drop an unkind word, or careless: in a minute you forget
But there’s little waves a-flowing and there’s ripples circling yet
And perhaps in some sad heart a mighty wave of tears you’ve stirred
And disturbed a life was happy ere you dropped that unkind word

Drop a word of cheer and kindness: just a flash and it is gone
But there’s half-a-hundred ripples circling on and on and on
Bearing hope and joy and comfort on each splashing, dashing wave
Till you wouldn’t believe the volume of the one kind word you gave

Drop a word of cheer and kindness: in a minute you forget
But there’s gladness still a-swelling and there’s joy a-circling yet
And you’ve rolled a wave of comfort whose sweet music can be heard
Over miles and miles of water just by dropping one kind word

The Front Yard and Bridge

The work on the front yard has come to a screeching halt as the temperature continues to be in the 90’s during the day with the humidity between 85 and 100. Â Ugh! Â It is too hot to work outside. On a “normal” Minnesota summer day I can work up quite a sweat working outside for 2 hours in the morning so imagine what would happen if I attempted working in this hot weather.

Nevertheless, we have made progress. The few plants we laid out are enjoying the humidity. And the Japanese bridge has been placed over the drain that we wanted to be able to walk over.

Here are some “before” pictures of what our yard looked like:

And another picture “before:”

We are not quite finished with the front yard as we still have 3 large rocks to add to the landscape along with stepping stones going to and away from the bridge.

But — we’ve made much progress especially since I mainly work in the mornings when it’s cool and the mosquitoes aren’t out.

Both ends of the bridge still need large cement slabs that will lead to the stepping stones and provide support for the bridge so it doesn’t come in contact with the dirt or bark.

In addition, I will be purchasing a “fake” rock cover for the septic lid that is right behind the bridge so it will look more “natural.” They work very well at hiding these septic lids that are quite ugly-looking in the landscape.

Landscaping takes a LOT of time. All the grass was removed and as many weeds as possible pulled up. I did lay the landscape tarp over 3/4 of the yard to keep the weeds down.

Once the weather cooperates, I can lay the stepping stones and large rocks. I decided not to put too many plants in this year as the ones that are there will grow and I’d like to see what they look like in a year as I don’t want the space to be overcrowded but have a more simple look.

I’m hoping to find a landscaping class that I can take so I can get more of a feel on what to do with the rest of the property. Next year I hope to tackle (slowly) the 1/2 acre in the back of our property that has a lot of brush growing on it. I had hoped to be able to clear a lot of it already but the weather has not cooperated although the mosquitoes (bless their souls — oops! no, I don’t mean that) have not been bothering me too much.

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