Wow. It's been quite a while since I've updated...I bet I don't even have any readers anymore! A lot has happened since summer solstice, here are the highlights:
-Paul took me sailing. It was my first time ever on a sailboat and I was excited. We tried to go again today but there's a big event going on and all the boats were taken...boo. I hope that we get to go sailing a lot throughout the rest of the summer on Lake Mendota.
-Speaking of Lake Mendota, we just biked our way around it this afternoon. About 23 miles total. I was a little nervous about biking on a road where people are speeding close by at 55+mph but it worked out in the end. I'd like to do it again and stop to take photos along the way.
-Last Thur-Monday I visited relatives in Omaha, Nebraska and that weekend we went to Shaller, Iowa. It's a small town just south of Storm Lake (about 60 mile east of Sioux City). Every year they hold a festival called Popcorn Days and my grama goes back every year....this year turned out be her 70th Hight School Reunion! It's the town where she grew up and it used to be the "Popcorn Capitol of the World".....as you might imagine it's a very tiny town surrounded by cornfields (now the fields are rotated out with soybeans and there is a very neat windfarm all around...the windmills are amazing and so HUGE! Popcorn Days consists of free popcorn, a parade featuring lots of tractors from various years, midwest farm queens and princesses (yes, there's even the pork queen!), a car show, a carnival, and a beer garden. Since most of my midwestern relatives are now over the age of 70 we spent most of the day lounging about on lawn chairs in the park and watching the parade. During this trip I did get to meet some distant cousins, which was neat.
-I've (re)learned to knit! I was invited to join a social knitting group which meets every other Thursday. The first Thursday I learned how to cast-on and I learned the knit stich, last thursday I learned how to purl. My first project is a green scarf and it's currently about 10 inches long...I taught Paul and he is helping out with it too.
I have to admit. I get really carried away when it comes to crafts. Yesterday I bought three different needles and last week in Iowa I bough 70 SKEINS OF YARN. Yes I am crazy, but they were only 50 cents each and went to a good cause. I found them in a Storm Lake charity thrift store and just couldn't help myself....so I stuffed them all in a box and checked it home.
-The chickens! They're growing so so fast. And they have moved outside to their amazing coop. Although we worked on the coop together, Paul definitely spent the most time and energy on the project...he had some great ideas on how to put it together and it turned out excellent. The chicks now have a lovely coop, an inside covered run, and a large outside run during the daytime.
All of the chicks officially have names now at 7 weeks old: Our Rhode Island Red is named Penny, our Silver Laced Wyandotte is named Sterling and our Buff Brahma is named St. Helen. They have fun personalities and love having visitors.
Highlights of the near-future:
-We're hosting a birthday party this Saturday evening at our house. A wine and cheese party with a live band playing a birthday tribute song. Should be fun. Gotta start cleaning!!
-Heading to Connecticut for seven days the first week of August. Hopefully we'll spend a day in Boston and camp in New Hampshire too.
-A week in Northern Minnesota canoeing in the boundary waters with Ruthie!
-Paul took me sailing. It was my first time ever on a sailboat and I was excited. We tried to go again today but there's a big event going on and all the boats were taken...boo. I hope that we get to go sailing a lot throughout the rest of the summer on Lake Mendota.
-Speaking of Lake Mendota, we just biked our way around it this afternoon. About 23 miles total. I was a little nervous about biking on a road where people are speeding close by at 55+mph but it worked out in the end. I'd like to do it again and stop to take photos along the way.
-Last Thur-Monday I visited relatives in Omaha, Nebraska and that weekend we went to Shaller, Iowa. It's a small town just south of Storm Lake (about 60 mile east of Sioux City). Every year they hold a festival called Popcorn Days and my grama goes back every year....this year turned out be her 70th Hight School Reunion! It's the town where she grew up and it used to be the "Popcorn Capitol of the World".....as you might imagine it's a very tiny town surrounded by cornfields (now the fields are rotated out with soybeans and there is a very neat windfarm all around...the windmills are amazing and so HUGE! Popcorn Days consists of free popcorn, a parade featuring lots of tractors from various years, midwest farm queens and princesses (yes, there's even the pork queen!), a car show, a carnival, and a beer garden. Since most of my midwestern relatives are now over the age of 70 we spent most of the day lounging about on lawn chairs in the park and watching the parade. During this trip I did get to meet some distant cousins, which was neat.
-I've (re)learned to knit! I was invited to join a social knitting group which meets every other Thursday. The first Thursday I learned how to cast-on and I learned the knit stich, last thursday I learned how to purl. My first project is a green scarf and it's currently about 10 inches long...I taught Paul and he is helping out with it too.
I have to admit. I get really carried away when it comes to crafts. Yesterday I bought three different needles and last week in Iowa I bough 70 SKEINS OF YARN. Yes I am crazy, but they were only 50 cents each and went to a good cause. I found them in a Storm Lake charity thrift store and just couldn't help myself....so I stuffed them all in a box and checked it home.
-The chickens! They're growing so so fast. And they have moved outside to their amazing coop. Although we worked on the coop together, Paul definitely spent the most time and energy on the project...he had some great ideas on how to put it together and it turned out excellent. The chicks now have a lovely coop, an inside covered run, and a large outside run during the daytime.
All of the chicks officially have names now at 7 weeks old: Our Rhode Island Red is named Penny, our Silver Laced Wyandotte is named Sterling and our Buff Brahma is named St. Helen. They have fun personalities and love having visitors.
Highlights of the near-future:
-We're hosting a birthday party this Saturday evening at our house. A wine and cheese party with a live band playing a birthday tribute song. Should be fun. Gotta start cleaning!!
-Heading to Connecticut for seven days the first week of August. Hopefully we'll spend a day in Boston and camp in New Hampshire too.
-A week in Northern Minnesota canoeing in the boundary waters with Ruthie!
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