Mainly Garden & Rummage

Between trying to keep up with the garden weeding, watering, harvesting and cleaning of produce and running this year’s shelter rummage sale, I haven’t had time for much else. For awhile I was overrun with peas, now it’s chard, plus the tomatoes are ripening. We’ve had a rainier warmer summer than in years’ past, so the weeds sprout on a daily basis in both the garden and flower beds I am trying to establish. It’s not uncommon that I am out there a couple hours daily to do battle but in actuality, I lost the war long ago. I worked the rummage for the better part of ten days from 7 a.m. onward so I really got behind.

With some great volunteer help, I managed to pull off my first year of chairing the event and actually coming close to making what we have in previous years. Due to some snafus with delayed advertising (which I wasn’t running) I think our traffic was off; donations were off and hence, sales were off slightly. It’s a fun event but by the time I had swept out the warehouse and handed it back to the marina owner after the ten day endeavor, I was spent! The photos show the first day of getting in donations and our unpacking and setup. Quite a job for a bunch of older ladies and lots of walking back and forth on cement floor!

Besides the funds raised for the shelter, the biggest personal benefit is that as volunteers we get first dibs on the goodies, for a contribution. I was able to add to my glassware stock (to make my glass flowers), oddball miscellaneous things (a large bell for the yard), practical items (cell phone case), impractical items (Xmas décor), entertainment items (books and puzzles), and best of all, a scroll saw for Marc which was in really nice shape. He has always hankered after one, but given the retail value of $1200, it wasn’t something high on his list at this point. Now he has it and is happy as a kid with a new toy as he practices making gizmos and gadgets that at this point serve absolutely no purpose at all but practice. He does assure me however that when it comes time for him to make my kitty window boxes, the thing will be worth its weight in gold.

I have a rather aggressive agenda for the rest of the summer so blogging may fall to the wayside. I need a new crown on one of my molars; I’m fairly certain I have some skin cancer going on my face (see the dermatologist next week); I have quite a bit of outside and inside trim painting to attend to and I am devoting lots of time to searching out properties on the internet that might be suitable as an exchange for our Yuma lot. We are tearing our hair out that we cannot get it sold and are already greatly in a loss position where it is currently priced, so I will make a last ditch effort to reach out to sellers in Wisconsin who have free & clear properties they haven’t been able to sell and see if they’ll take what we have and we’ll take theirs. It’s going to involve lots of emailing and contacting listing agents but just maybe we’ll be able to find that needle in the haystack. It’s better than sitting and doing nothing and gives me an important project to pursue.

Summer's Here

Summer has settled in with a combination of nice days, rainy showery days, and often nighttime violent thunder storms. The garden is coming along much better given the warmer days and I spend most of my time either weeding or watering it and a little less time harvesting it. I tried to start the flower garden next to the house using seed, which hasn’t been a great success so I may be forced to plant mature perennials next year if this doesn’t work.

Marc meanwhile finished up making the rebar skeleton for the bottle tree that Eric got started for me and I love the result! I figure if I can find red bottles it would look particularly festive against the white snow of winter around Christmas since we placed it front and center close to the house.

During some of his off time Marc has been getting involved in making our own sausage and brats and the results are wonderful! It’s also proven to be quite a cost savings to use meat we find on sale for 99 cents/lb instead of the nearly $4/lb retail the stores charge for them. The only problem is that they are fairly addictive!

We took time out to attend the Waupaca Strawberry Festival one Saturday; mainly just to look at some of the craft booths to see what people are making to sell. Eventually we may want to run with this idea after Marc retires since he is so handy at making things. I’ve been giving my glass flowers as gifts and they are big hits but they prove problematic to ship so they may prove easier to sell locally at craft fairs. I’ve been hitting up the rummage sales left and right scouting for glassware at reasonable prices and have walked away with some nice vintage pieces.

Speaking of rummages, the shelter’s is fast approaching in about two weeks and I find myself now in charge. The lady that has been heading it up no longer volunteers for the shelter so the mantle was passed to me since I helped co-chair last year. I expect to be very busy with that since there is a day of setup, then three days when we take in donations which need unpacking, sorting and setup and then the following week we have three full days for the sale and a fourth when any leftover items are offered out for free. After that there is still one more day for cleanup since it is held in a generously donated marina warehouse out at one of the Chain of Lakes. On another note regarding the shelter, the good boy Chance with the amputated leg I wrote about recently was adopted by a doctor! Go Chance!

I'm Exhausted!

We had a wonderful, whirlwind, loving visit from daughter Rachael and her boyfriend Eric. It was my first time to meet him and I must say I was very impressed with his character, politeness, congeniality and obvious love for Rachael. After five days, they jetted off back to Portland and their hectic lives, but not before utterly relaxing into the laid back lifestyle we enjoy in Central Wisconsin. We did a lot of “porch sitting”, beer drinking and several BBQ’s, including the famous Packer Brats which are filled with Miller Lite and cheese of course. Rachael commented it wouldn’t be a visit to Wisconsin unless she consumed cheese with every meal.

My friends Jackie and Andy graciously invited the kids to an afternoon of canoeing from their lakeside home on Memorial Day so while the kids explored the Chain of Lakes, all interconnected, Marc and I enjoyed a wonderful visit. The weather cooperated and it was an awesome and perfect 80 degree sunshiny day.

The next day we also enjoyed great weather as we worked off what little stress was left by banging some up at the shooting range which is very close by to our home. Eric was impressed we had the place entirely to ourselves and that there was no range master hanging over our shoulders.

While Marc taught Eric the basics of welding (he started a rebar bottle tree for me), Rachael and I visited some vintage shops for her search for old and unique jewelry pieces. One local shop is famous state wide for its eclectic and fun collection of yard art.

Part of the reason for their visit was to explore the Appleton-Green Bay area since they are giving some tentative thought to leaving Oregon to search for a much more affordable place to live. Of course, one couldn’t visit Green Bay and miss touring Lambeau Field, which they said was an outstanding experience, including the obligatory cheese head photo op!

They wrapped up their visit by accompanying me to the shelter for a kitty visit. Rachael has missed having a cat but their current apartment lifestyle is not conducive to having one so she was busy imagining adopting one once she can own her own home. (Eric’s colorful shirt is actually a smock which volunteers are required to wear during visits.)

Too soon, the hour of departure arrived, so one last photo of the family and they were off for another year. Marc’s vacation time extends through Tuesday so now it’s time to get back to work!