Thursday, August 25, 2022

Minnesota, At Last

  After 2 1/2 years (thanks, Covid!) I finally got to go home to Minnesota and spend some time with my family. We crammed as much as we could into a few days. 



“Hi, Nana!”

   I know it’s cliche but …

        My goodness, how they’ve grown!

            (8, 13 and 13, 14)


  Fall sports were just starting up and Mason had football practice. First year for wearing protective equipment, but it’s still touch football, not tackle. Whew, glad of that!


Minnesota Twins played the Texas Rangers.
Grown-ups only. It felt very strange to leave the boys home without a sitter. 



  Our seats were right behind home plate and the ball was coming at us at up to 103 mph! How does a batter ever hit that?!!

  Nail biter until the very end and the TWINS WON! 


  I did not recognize one player left from my days of being a Twins fan. 









  We’re a family who loves puzzles. 

  This Star Wars challenger has 2000 pieces! 












  Mason’s really good at puzzles but doesn’t have the attention span of the big boys. 


  Never at a loss for things to do however!


  (Or maybe he thought this was a better vantage point for finding that certain piece?)

























Chillin’ with the grand dogs, Annabelle (right), a Texas kill shelter rescue, and Nettie (left), a retired show dog. They are both so sweet, and the best cuddlers. 


Lots of ball games — basketball, whiffle ball, football — to use up that boy energy.







  The big Minneapolis farmers market with real farm-to-table prices and So Much Stuff! How do you even choose?

  Sarah still has her Mexican taste buds and bought a bowl of each of these kind of peppers. 

   She snacks on them like carrot sticks!








“Surprise” birthday party for Anna


My beloved daughters, Anna and Sarah 


  And the final evening, a bonfire with marshmallows, singing, and dancing around the fire. Until the mosquitoes chased us inside. Not a Minnesota summer evening without some of those!



So hard to watch them drive away at the airport! 

So thankful to have this time together!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  I want to say a few words about my last post, the one about the neighborhood man who feeds the feral cats. First, I am aware that cats kill birds and other small animals and that pet cats should be kept indoors. The cats I have owned have all been indoor cats for that reason, and if I get another cat, she will be an indoor cat, too. 
  There is a cat problem in the small Southern town I live in. Traditionally, cats here are outdoor pets. Although there are no-cost spay clinics and individuals who attempt to trap the many cats that live around the fishing and boat docks, it’s a drop in the bucket. There are so many stray cats that the local animal shelter provides outdoor shelters, food, and neutering for hundreds that come and go near their facility. 
  And finally, the man who feeds these cats in my neighborhood is old, poor, in terrible health, and alone. Feeding these 15 or so cats brings him some happiness and a feeling that he is doing a kindness to God’s creatures. Who am I to judge? He has lived here all his life; I have lived here six years. 

Wednesday, August 3, 2022

Here, Kitty, Kitty





  Since I am still catless, I have to get my cat fix where I can. This house on my morning walking route provides a constant supply of cat cuteness! An elderly man lives here and feeds all who come to the table. I counted 12 waiting this morning. I think he leaves the watermelon on the left for the fox family that lives in the woods next door. 

 
  We recently spent time with my mom at her care home in Florida where indoor and outdoor sitting areas allow the human residents to enjoy the wildlife — raccoons, egrets, squirrels, ibises, and this Sandhill Crane family.  The guy on the right with its beak open is a youngster still being fed by the parents. 


  Besides the animals, the grounds are beautiful with huge 400 year old oak trees draped with Spanish moss along a large creek. The craziest thing though — the prettiest view is reserved for the smokers, which seems very unfair to Mom and to us! 

  She isn’t always happy to be there but she does love being able to take herself outside and enjoy nature.




  On the drive back home we spotted this interesting cloud towering in the sky. 









  


  The top appeared indented and bowl-shaped.  
  Never seen one like it before. 





  Meanwhile, the South Carolina summer does not disappoint those who love heat and humidity. 

And here’s how I handle it! 

A fair bit of complaining and …


😎 😎 😎