Nutter Butter Sandwich Cookies

Okay, I am going to tell on myself. The self-respect preservation side of my mind tells me not to reveal this but my humorous mind tells me to spill it, it’s just too funny. So here goes.

As many of you know, I was in Tennessee last September to attend the wedding of Keaton & Teri’s daughter, Kate. I saw many of my best-loved friends while I was there and made many more new friends as well. It was a celebration of love every day.

So anyway, after the wedding I went to the Mulvaney house to hang out with them for a week before I headed back to the North Pole. The first full day back we did nothing but lie around and recuperate from the wedding event. After we were sufficiently rested up Teri and I did some of the usual things we always did together, shopping, coffee at Java or Starbucks, shopping, mowing grass, visiting friends, Meals on Wheels, church, shopping…you know, the usual.

One afternoon we were all hanging out at the house not doing much of anything, Keaton and Alex were watching a baseball game on the computer, Teri and I were in the living room looking at magazines and just chatting with each other. I finished my magazine and got up to see what there was to munch on. After poking around in the kitchen I found some cookies that looked like Nutter Butter Sandwich Cookies. So a grabbed a couple and went back to the couch. I bit into one and start to chew on it…it was hard, kind of like it was stale. I chewed on it a bit more and then looked at Teri, ‘Are these cookies really stale or are they dog biscuits?’

She looked at me and her eyes got wide, then she started cracking up. I knew it; they were dog biscuits.

Everyone was laughing, even me, as I spit out what was in my mouth and tossed the cookies to Wrigley and Hazel. Alex was laughing so hard I thought he was gonna fall out of his chair. Keaton was the one who thought to ask me how they tasted. Actually, they weren’t bad, just very hard. Although I don’t recall them tasting much like peanut butter.

They had wondered if that would ever happen and were rewarded with a good story to share for years to come.

I know you think that’s the end of the story but there’s more to share. About a month later Teri sent me a box with the candle holder I’d made at the ceramic shop and some other fun stuff she thinks I might like. Included in the box was what is pictured below. She had to make sure I knew which one was for me. 

Working In The Greenhouse

 (Sing to the tune of “Working at the Car Wash.) 

        Sorry, that song just popped into my head when I typed the title…. couldn't help myself.  

        My time at the greenhouse is done for this year. Whew, I finally have time to write a post about my experiences there. Between working full time at the greenhouse and part time mowing for the township, I’ve had barely enough time to eat let alone write a word.

        What I thought would be a really great job turned out to be much more than I ever expected. Not that it isn’t a great job, it is and I will go back again next year. However, it turned out to be more work than I thought. It’s a lot of work running a greenhouse.

        First off, let me acknowledge that the Cherry Greenhouse is so much more than just a greenhouse. It’s a full fledged nursery. The store they have in another town nearby is a greenhouse because they sell what we send them.

        The Cherry Greenhouse begins its work in late January by seeding. That’s planting seeds in tiny pods in rows of 20 by 30. By the first of March the tiny pods now hold a tiny plant barely up above the soil. There is a huge table that is 8 feet wide by 46 feet long, and on rollers, where all these seed trays sit in uniformed rows and get misted every couple of hours so they don’t dry out.

        By the time I started working there in April there were already 4 to 6 inch plants on the tables in 5 of the 8 greenhouses. I did some transplanting the week I started then moved on to the retail area where I cleaned and got the shelves ready to receive the many gardening items that people would be shopping for, including seeds. Then I moved into the perennial house where I spent hours planting the roots of perennials into pots. I guess that sounds pretty easy. Yea, no, it’s not. Each of the plants has to be potted according to the size it will eventually grow up to. The taller the plant the taller and rounder the pot has to be. Square pots will tip over easier when the plant gets too tall. It also depends on the size of the root ball. The bigger the root ball the bigger the pot, and so on.

        There is also the cost of the roots and the pot and the soil to take into consideration. The more expensive the root, the less expensive we want to go with the pot and soil. That way we don’t have to charge an outrageous price for the plant and still make a profit.

        Then there are the daily chores. Everything has to be watered every day, sometimes twice a day, depending on the weather. The warmer and sunnier it is, the more often the plants need to be watered. You can’t let them wilt down too much or they won’t come back no matter how much water you give them. Some plants demand more water than others too. Tomatoes, marigolds, petunia and vine crops need more water more often. Peppers, Geraniums, sweet potato vines and Mandevilles can go longer. So what’s required is that you look at the plants carefully to determine if the soil is dry or wet, and sometimes you have to feel the soil to make sure.

        If you’re not watering, you’re cleaning plants of dead blooms and leaves; transplanting six packs into 4 inch pots as they get too big for the small cells; creating planters for folks to put on grave sites or take to funerals, and weddings too. All the while the seeding, transplanting, watering, cleaning and creating continues.

        Seeding is over by the end of April, transplanting goes on into June and all 8 greenhouses are full. By the end of June all the seeders and trans-planters are gone, by the end of July the rest of the crew has left for the season. All that’s left is watering, cleaning and selling.

        By August there were only two of us left besides the owners and we only worked when the owners had to be away. September is the official closing month. All remaining plants will go into compost or be prepared to be stored for the winter. Then it’s time to clean the greenhouses, the equipment, pots, trays and tables. This year they will change the walls of the #1 greenhouse in September as they are wearing thin.

        On August 7 the owners hosted a dinner at a local restaurant for the whole staff and a guest. We played a ‘who knows what about who’ game. Don’t worry, it wasn’t gossip. Each person brought an item in a paper bag that represented something about themselves that the others might not know, and then we had to guess who we thought the item belonged to. It was fun and surprising too. I was surprised that I actually got a few right.

        I am sad to see this time end. I had a great time playing in the dirt and getting educated about growing plants in a greenhouse in the frigid North Country. However, one great thing I got out of this whole experience was a great idea for a book. Keep a look out for that announcement later this year.

        Thanks for reading and God bless.

                                                Rockie

Deer & Turkeys & Bears, Oh… What?! Bears?! Where?!

       I’m working at the greenhouse one day and I check my phone for messages during a break to find a message from Rick. I figured he’d ask if I was going to town so I could pick up something for him. However, when I listened to the message I was kind of puzzled by it. He had just called to tell me that he loved and would see me later.

        I know what you’re thinking. How sweet he was to call me up just to tell me he loved me. Yea, Rick doesn’t do that. If he’s calling me he has a reason much more necessary than that.

        I went back to work and didn’t think any more of it. I’d find out what that was all about when I got home later.

        Well, when I did arrive home he was standing on the porch waiting for me with an odd expression on his face. It was a cross between the cat that ate the canary and a little kid who knows something you don’t know. Now I knew something was going on.

        As I walked toward the house I asked him what was wrong. He said, “Nothing. What makes you think something is wrong?”

        “Because you’re standing on the porch with an odd expression on your face.”

        When I get home from work I am usually greeted by Rick and Perry hollering “Honey, you’re home” from the living room where they are watching some crazy show about how stuff is made or gator hunters or some wild guy who catches pesky critters. So you can understand my curiosity as to Rick’s presence on the porch and the odd look on his face.

        So we get in the kitchen and he tells me he had an encounter with smokey. I’m thinking fire and looking for evidence that he tried to catch the house on fire. Now I’m really puzzled because there is none. So I asked him what he tried to burn up.

        He says ‘not that kind of smokey…you know…hey booboo, how about a picnic basket’.

        “That’s Yogi Bear.” I say….then..”What!, You saw a bear?”

        He smiled and proceeds to tell me about his encounter with the bear who was lying under the chicken coop munching on corn that had dropped through the wire floor. And, it wasn’t one bit afraid. It looked at Rick then stood up, putting its front paws on the top of the cage like it wanted in. Rick hollered at it and the bear turned back to look at him then just ambled off like it hadn’t a care in the world.

        I was stunned and excited. Wow, a bear. I walked to the table to put my purse & lunch bag down just in time to see the same bear strolling across the front lawn.

        “There’s you’re bear Rick.” I point out the window as this overwhelming desire to run out and pet it flooded through me. I mean I was excited. I’d never seen a bear that close before. He was cute too, about the size of a German Shepherd, black and fuzzy. His fur looked so soft.

        Well, Rick grabbed the rifle he had sitting on the counter & headed out to get him a bear. Don’t worry, he didn't shoot it. He shot in the air to scare it away and it ran off into the woods.

        The Department of Fish & Game said we could shoot it if it became a danger to our livestock or ourselves. So far all it had done was eat corn.

        Well, it seems that one encounter wasn't quite enough for the bear. Two days later he was back. This time Rick was gonna shoot it. I guess God decided that wasn’t a good idea because the bear saw Rick and turned away to wander off into the trees. Rick didn’t want to wound it and cause it to suffer so he shot into the ground right at the bear’s feet and sent him running as fast as his bear feet could take him, and he hasn’t been back here since.

        However, he did show up at a neighbor’s and stole her bird feeder. Then went to another neighbor’s and tried to get into her chicken coop….and the poor critter has been wandering further west every day. It could still circle back this way so there is a possibility that we could see him again.

        Don’t worry, I won’t try to go pet it, but I do think I will try to get some pictures next time. That was exciting!

        Thanks for reading and God Bless.

                                                        Rockie

         

        

I AM A BAAAAAAD BLOGGER!!!

            Friends, forgive me, for it has been 9 months since my last post. Honestly, I don’t know what happened. I had every intention of keeping everyone posted about progress with my mom and the adventures we went on while I was with her; and a whole bunch of other things I've experienced since then. So, I guess I will have to do a quick recap to bring everyone up to date.

            After coming back home in October I had to get readjusted to life here and it wasn't easy. I had missed Autumn completely and it was already very cold. We had snow before Thanksgiving and it just kept coming after that. Last winter was one of the coldest in history for this area, 70+ days of way below zero temps. Even folks who have lived here all their lives were tired of it. When we got more snow in April my love affair with the white stuff had long since died.

The best part of the winter was

‘THE BEST SURPRISE EVER’!!!!  

My oldest son, Chris, got all his brothers, his sister and my mom, organized (even paying for a lot of it) and brought them all together for the best surprise family reunion ever. It was five days of love with all 

four of my kids, their spouses and a couple grand kids. We finally got to meet little Atticus in person and he is a character, so full of love and spirit. I even have video of Atticus and my mom lying on the floor at the top of the stairs watching Chris in the kitchen cooking dinner and chattering away. Priceless!!!

We had so much fun it was hard to take them all back to the airport.  It was worth every crazy minute of 12 people eating, drinking, showering, talking, playing games, working puzzles, and playing in the snow. Watching my sons & son in law ride the snowmobiles was a blast, and everyone was enthralled with the deer that just strolled into the yard for a bite to eat at the hay bale. My grandson, Matt, was all ready to just stay here. He told his mom he could go to school here and Grandpa would take good care of him. He tried hard to talk her into letting him stay. Another great thing about this surprise….I did not cook a single meal, wash a single dish or do anyone’s laundry. They did it all and didn’t complain once. It truly was the “Best Surprise Ever’!!!

Since then I started working at the Cherry Greenhouse, which I love. I get paid to play in the dirt. What’s not to love? And I am surrounded by beauty all day long. It was spring in the greenhouses long before it officially arrived up here, which wasn't until the end of April. 

I am learning a lot about gardening in this colder climate. It is a whole lot different than the south where the growing season is usually about 8 months; up here you are lucky if it’s 4 months. I will post more about the greenhouse as I learn more. So far, it has been a real education.

This week the mowing job I worked last year started up again. Started with the cemetery; getting it ready for the Memorial Day festivities next weekend. I will move on to the park and town hall areas next as there will be a picnic as well. Yes, I will be working two jobs this year. Have lots of plans for the future and I will need to pay for them. I did have to cancel one trip to attend a wedding but I know that the two precious people who got married weren’t all that worried about me not being there. I wish Jaylin and David all the best blessings that God has in His storehouse.

I promise to keep up with it from now on. Oh, and I even have an idea for another blog. I’ll let you know when I get it started. My love to all and thanks for reading. 

Talk About A Change….

Most everyone who reads this blog remembers me like this….  

The Secretary of FCC, Wednesday night children’s teacher in summer, and all around ‘go to’ person. If you needed something I was the person to come to. If we didn't have it already, I would get it for you, and if it was an elusive item, I would find it no matter what.

I was the church membership’s personal phone directory, money collector for many projects and events, sounding board for other staff members and the person with the answers to who, what, when, where & how.

Well, in the year that has past since we left Tennessee I have found a new job and it is not what anyone would expect.

Here is my new office…. 

...and here is my new desk.

And here is where I work…  

While I am mowing the expansive areas you see, I also get to enjoy these beautiful sights….. 

It is a beautiful sight to look out 

over a field of wild flowers 

in an array of different colors.

Sometimes I am even treated to the occasional critter like this baby squirrel hiding in the baseball dugout. There was actually two but one was a little too shy and scurried around the back. 

The thing I find fascinating about my new job is that I spend so much more time talking to God now than I ever did working as a church secretary. I know that sounds odd but it's the truth. With great amounts of time to think I found myself thinking of things I didn't want in my head. To battle the bad thoughts I decided to talk to God instead. 

I talk to Him about my family, my friends, myself and all the 'now what' questions I had. I pray for the family members of the people buried in the cemetery I mow weekly, some I now know and care about. 

I talk to Him about what He wants me to do with my life now and how to go about it. I ask for strength, guidance and peace. 

This job is seasonal and will end in late September. What I will do after that I don't know. I do know that I will be in Idaho with my mom for a couple months. (Rick will take over the mowing.)  I am flying out on the 15th to be with her while she goes through surgery to repair damage from a heart attack and have a pace maker put in. Something none of us ever expected with my mom. She has always had what the family jokingly called 'an iron constitution', and they all secretly admired her for it. The attack she had was pretty severe from what the doctors told her so I imagine her iron constitution is what has kept her going since then. I ask for your prayers for her recovery and over all health. 

While I am there I will post about what is going on and try to get a bit of information about the area & my adventures there. I imagine the next couple of months will hold some big changes for us. 

Love you all and thanks for reading. 

Spring Has Finally Arrived!!!!

In the summer of 1982, Rick and I, along with two 4 year olds and a dog named Cocoa, traveled from Northern Illinois to West Tennessee to visit his family. The route we took traveled through the western edge of Kentucky and I remember looking around at the dense foliage and thinking that it was the greenest place I’d ever seen. And I do mean GREEN!

Now, 30 plus years later, I am living in Northern Minnesota and can honestly say this is the whitest place I have ever seen. And I do mean WHITE!

The ground was constantly covered with a thick white blanket, every tree wore a white coat and every rook had a layer of white frosting with beautiful long ice cycles hanging from the edges.  The grey/white skies promised to refill the places where we’d pushed the blanket back in order to navigate safely from place to place, even if it was just to the mailbox and back. The picture above was taken with my cell phone just a few weeks ago...in April. 

One month after the actually first day of Spring, Winter has finally loosened her grip on us and is slowly receding, revealing brown wet patches of earth and grass struggling to turn green again. The trees have been trying to leaf out for weeks and on many you can see the yellow and red of new growth waiting to burst loose with life.

There are several squirrels that spend their days scampering from tree to tree, one seems to have an infinity for my favorite maple in the yard, the same one pictured in an earlier post. I can see the tree from my upstairs office window and enjoy the show the squirrels put on for me in the morning. It’s just one of those things that make me smile. If you look closely you will see one of my delightful friends on the top board stretched across the 2 cedar trees. 

The little birds have been back for a couple weeks now but this morning I was delighted to see another telltale sign of spring in my yard – Robins -- bunches of them. It was a joy to watch them dance across the yard in pursuit of a meal.

Out the big bay window at the back of the 

house is the most obvious sign of spring, 

a river of water from the melt off heading for 

lower ground. At the end of the flow is the 

inlet to the stream that flows through our

 property and under the road as it heads 

for the St. Louis River a couple miles away. 

God Is So Good!!!!!

I must apologize for not posting anything for such a long time. Ever since my trip I have been in a weird place, still trying to find myself in this new place I now call home. Also, I've been struggling with the fact that it is April, Spring time; things should be turning green and warming up but winter is not done yet. In the last 2 days we've gotten almost 6 inches of snow. Mother Nature must not have gotten that memo. I keep telling myself it will melt eventually.  In the meantime....

I want to share with you what happened on my journey to visit with my mom and aunt in Boise, Idaho.  I had prayed for protection for the plane before I ever got on it so I was relieved when the captain came on the loud speaker to inform us that we would be delayed for about 40 minutes to fix a problem with the hydraulics that lower the wheels.

I was one of the first to board so was able to stow my carry on above my seat. I was assigned an aisle seat, which I prefer, easier to get up and down and I don’t mind letting seat mates out. I was joined a short time later by a couple on their way to Hawaii. They love being there but hate the long flights it takes to get there. I suggested next time they plan a cruise. The trip was a pleasant one, we chatted some and each spent time in our own pursuits, sleeping or reading.

When we landed in Phoenix we were behind by 40 minutes because of the hydraulic problem so I was worried about getting to the next gate on time. When I entered the terminal I looked around to find which direction to go for my next gate. How pleasant to find that it was right next to the gate I’d just came through, and, to make it even sweeter, that plane was delayed as well because the crew to fly it had not arrived yet; the plane they were on was late as well. 

On this flight I was assigned to a center seat, which I was not looking forward to, and I was one of the last groups called to board so I was concerned about stowing my carry on near me. Well, imagine my surprise to find my assigned row and the above cargo area empty. I stowed my bag and took my seat and waited, there were still people getting on the plane. I smiled with gratitude as the cabin door was closed and the captain announced our departure. I had the whole row to myself. How awesome is that? Thank you God!!!! 

This plane is the the first plane I traveled on during my trip home. I have never been in a plane this small before so it was very different. It had double seats on each side so sitting in the middle was not an issue and my carry on would not fit in the cargo area so it had to be stowed in the baggage compartment. Thankfully, they did not charge me extra. I was seated with a lovely little lady who was on her way to visit family in Montana. Here is the crazy part. She and I were both headed east, so where did this plane take us? To Seattle! 

That is the biggest airport I have ever been in. After arriving I went in search of my next gate right away. I deplaned at gate D, my next flight took off from gate N. I had to go down 2 flights of stairs to a basement level and get on a train that took me across the airport, where I went back up 2 flights of stairs to the N terminal and walked all the way around until I found N8. Thankfully I had almost an hour to wait so I called home & my mom, letting them know I was safe. Then I got a cup of coffee and sat back to people watch while I waited for my flight. I was so happy to see that my next plane was much, much bigger. 

I had a middle seat again and my seat mates were not really interested in conversation. The young lady in the window seat pulled her hood up and dozed, the young lady in the aisle seat was buried in her book before we even took off, so I did the same. 

To end this day long trip, I took a shuttle from the Minneapolis airport to a park and ride outside of Cloquet, Minnesota. Rick was there waiting for me and an hour later I was back home being loved to pieces by my Betty Boop.