..............................SOLD!!!!

It was as easy as that!! About 6.5 hours later and all of Kurts treasures were history, and had new owners. It was really hard to see some of these things being driven, towed or hauled out by complete strangers...but, I guess they can give the next person some joy. Kurtis is maintaining that he is glad it is over and is glad to have it all gone..I'm not so sure. I think I am somewhat over the shock of selling the high wheel wagon..it didn't go too far (Swisher), so maybe I will see it again in the future. Brent Wears, the auctioneer was very happy with the crowd and told Kurtis it was the best sale he had all year...so that's a nice compliment. A special thanks to all the Lynch boys and Chuck for their help...Kurtis would of never made it without them.... We have to settle up with them soon. So, here are a couple of pictures from the day..I took 130 pictures total...just for memories I guess....

I posted this one for you Adam....you should of been there..

A hayrack of treasures sells, A little bit of something for everyone.

Kurtis starts her up again for the last time....

And here is the full auction support team...Larry, Wayne and Steve (check out the fine mits!)

Yep, thats Ron Zousel..What do you suppose he had his eye on? (Again check out the mits)

Yes, I know it has been awhile.......

Well over a month since my last correspondence...I know, that is terrible. But, here is the deal. I have two issues.. 1.) I won 1.5 million dollars in the lottery and have been traveling the world over..have you ever been to Kat-man-du in the fall?? .it's simply striking and 2.) I'm a big fat liar...I just dont get around to updating my blog. I spend most of my free time looking at Jessica's blog that features Ellie. She is much more entertaining than I can be anyway.
So, If you cant beat em, join em.... Here are some pictures of Ellie from the weekend Kurtis and I babysat...We had a ball, she is getting soo big and gets around "quick". She had Grandma on the run several times, but we had a great time.
Until next time....MOM





Here is Ellie manning the big red wagon..This was a real hit! Now, if it was only "Pony" powered!!!

Come on Grandma!! Lets Go!

Red River threshing machine....up for sale next weekend...We had some good times with this!

And this is my high wheel wagon...I can hardly bare seeing this sell...Get me a team of horses and I'll be gone!!!

AND NOW, IT'S ALL ABOUT THE HARVEST..........
It's now very evident that I can't compete with Jessica's blog regarding that little fire-cracker Ellie..so, I'm not even going to attempt to.. Both Jennifer and I have to realize we take the back seat when it comees to the daily antics and progression of Miss Ellie Young, and we are both happy to do so..after all, as the saying goes, "You are only young once".
So, with that said, I will return back to my boring but extremely content world of being a grandma, gardening and enjoying life one day at a time.
With the chill in the air today, it naturally gets me thinking of winter. I thought I would share a picture of some of the bounty from my garden this summer. All in all it was a very productive summer. I spent alot of time and sweat on keeping things up and running (growing) and enjoyed every minute of it. I have spent a fair amount of time canning and putting things away for this winter. Nothing like the feeling of having good farm food available when the snow is flying..a nice hot bowl of chili, made with my tomatoes, onions, garlic and peppers. There is something about the weather turning that makes you just want to snuggle in, put bread in the oven and bake cookies...all of which are great for my diabetes. Oh well, ya have to go somehow, why not a foot or a toe at a time....not funny, really.
So, I hope you enjoy the couple of pictures below...and remember, if you get a hankering for some farm fresh food this winter, come on over, there is always plenty for all!
Until next time,,,,,MOM




I spent about a hour staging this picture...I think it could almost be the cover of "Dutiful Farm Wife Journal" don't you think. If you can pick them out there is tomatoes, pickles, grape jelly, peach jam, garlic, onions, shallots, carrots, herbs, apples, kohlrabi, walnuts tomatoes and some flowers from my beds.

This is a shot of the new Clematis "Piniculata" I planted this spring, putting on quite a show already....

This is a new piece of garden sculpture I purchased at the Brucemore Garden show this spring, I have named her "Belvedere"...quite unusual don't you think?? She rocks very gracefully in the wind.

Well, I Imagine you have been wondering where I have been....no blog updates!! I am posting this picture of an example of why I haven't updated for awhile....I haven't been taking the time to take many pictures, and I have been up to my nose in gardening since my last update. I also have another concern, and that is that there is nothing I can blog about that is as cute and entertaining as my competition on Jessica's blog "Ellie". I seem to be content just reading that blog, and not tending to mine quite as well.

Here it is the last of August already and I am well into the "canning" season. This time of the year the gardening seems to somewhat wind down, but there is much to do. I have made several batch's of pickles and are doing tomatoes now. I think this weekend I will do stewed tomatoes...ummm, the chili will be great this winter. I'm always sad to see summer end, but I have to admit I am sick and tired of the hot humid summer we have had for the past month or more..the cooler breeze will feel good.



Kurtis has had some bulldozing and clean up done this summer, with much more to do yet. I snapped this picture of him giving Tony Serbousek a ride around the farm with the Mule dog Millie on board. This gives you an idea of how desperate I am at the moment for blog material...but, I promise I will get better as the days begin to shorten again and I have more time indoors.......until next time....MOM

A NEW PERSPECTIVE.......28-70mm MACRO...
Yes, I know I am very pre-occupied with my flowers..it could be worse, I could collect like used lighters, or stamps or something boring..but maybe you think flowers are boring..oh well, my blog...my subject matter ....tee hee.. I bought a macro lens for my camera today..I want something to take very close up pictures to document what I grew this year....yeah, so get ready, this isnt the last of this subject. What do you think...I think they are very nice.
MOM


Day lilly - Peaches and Cream

Hydrangea, just starting to bud.

Lilly - Stargazer

Four o'clock - The seed was provided by Grandma Lynch

Just a quick blog update....some pictures of my gardens..It seems I am on the run constantly these days, but do like to take time to enjoy the fruit of my labor in the garden. Lets see, tonite supper is going to include fresh peas, kohlarabi for Kurtis and I am patiently babysitting beautiful little cucumbers....It wont be long..
Promise of a longer blog soon....MOM

The yellow and green envy zinnias ... against the old iron wheel of the seeder.

Good morning sunshine..this is one of the purchases Marsha and I made at the spring Lawn and Garden sale..so far he has done a nice job brightening up my bed.

There is standing room only at the feeders this summer. I have to refill the hummingbird feeders every 4-5 days and the finch feeders every two days....expensive..but worth it. What would a garden be without birds!

New chair....old cat. Kurtis says if you flip the cushions upside down, then the cat wont be able to lay on them.....I think Monet is proving a point!!

This weekend has all been about gardening and catching up....



Friday night I sat down and wrote down all the things I had to get accomplished this weekend. With Father Benda being in the hospital, most all of my free time has been spent coming and going from the hospital. Fa. Benda is doing quite well now and is well on his way to trying to re-gain some independence, he has a long road before him..but so far his progress has been quite amazing. So, with his family in town this weekend, I took the opportunity to try to catch up on not only my domestic duties, but my gardening also.

With my list of 12 "to do's" in hand....it didn't help much that overnite Thursday night we managed to get about 6 inches of rain...that makes for some pretty soggy gardening duties. Saturday was pretty wet too with periodic showers coming and going so I turned to inside work, I believe at least 3-4 of my 12 items regarded such excitement as doing wash, scrubbing the kitchen floor, cleaning out the foyer, etc etc. But, I muddled my way through and with great enthusiam crossed them off the list.

Sunday, we got up and went back to the hospital to check in..all was well there, so we came back home and I started in on the additional items still lurking on the list. Let's see..I sprayed all my gardens with a good insecticide..Melathion I believe. I mixed it up in a sprayer - 3 refills worth and hit everything that was within my reach. I really do appreciate organic gardening...but when the forces of nature threaten my pay off and hard work....bring on the chemicals!!! No. 8 on the list was to clean off the front porch...mission accomplished. The bad thing about a porch, is it is a good place to store things....but, because I want to paint it this summer (That's another list) I had to clean it off...and it looks much nicer now. Then it was weeding (still pretty muddy), putting up supports for my cucumbers, power washing the lawn mower and mule and cleaning my car. I filled my hummingbird feeders, bird feeders and managed to do some BBQueing.

Saturday night we knocked off about 5:00 and jumped in the shower for a special night out on the town...We headed over to Marsha's, picked her up and cruised down to West Liberty. David Lynch and friends were playing at Bolito's Mexican Restaurant...it was just great!!! Lots of good mexican food and wonderful home grown country music. I'm ready for a return trip.

So, you see it was a jam packed weekend, but a good one. Now back to work.

Until next time.....MOM

Aren't these the cutest things..This is thumbergina trailing down the wheel of the seeder in the lasagna garden. I started these from seeds and can't belive how they have taken off.

So far the old horse drawn seeder is working out quite nicely, everything I planted in there is flourishing..may have to do some trimming before long.

These are the spectacular "Monte Negro" asiatic lillies..they are putting on a wonderful show. Marsha and I got these bulbs at the Chicago Flower Show last year.

These are my prize possesions..for 20 years I have been trying to get poppies to grow..this was the year. Kurtis attributes it to good cow manure with lots of clover in it..I guess I can't argue.

Enough of the Rainbow already.......

I know you are sick of looking at the rainbow...I tried several times to update, but I couldnt get signed in...so here ya go. First, an update on Father Benda...he is still hanging in there and really is showing some improvement in the past few days..He has regained a good portion of his speech which is so wonderful. He was moved from Intensive care about a week ago and today they moved him to 3rd floor which is the rehab portion of the stroke ward. Now the intense work will begin to see what he can regain for mobility...the work will be hard, I remember Dad having to go through this..it is painstaking.
Just a quick update..Miss Ellie turned 1 year old on June 6th and we attended her wonderful little birthday party on June 9th in Des Moines...her mommy and daddy threw a great event for her...I hate to admit it...but she is by far my cutest grandaughter...haha!
This past Sunday was the St. Joseph's cemetery reunion...it was just great. Although the weather tried to dampen our spirits with very hot (90 degrees) or so temperatures, we held in there and had a good time. There was lots of good food and plenty to drink.
I know this is a quick update, but its quite late and I'm a bit pooped this evening. Now, the next update I will highlight my lasagna gardens again....I just know you are all dying to see how they are progress......at least you should be..
Until next time....MOM

Wayne shooting a wave from the front seat of Dale's antique car, I think it was a "Star"...oh, and it was Wayne's 49th birthday on Sunday.

Had a nice crowd for the Sunday mass at St. Joseph's cemetery..This is cousin David Lynch and his wife.

Grandpa Kurtis gives the first big bite of birthday cake to little Ellie....while mommie looks on. Gee, I bet they are buds for life now....Kind of how I feel about my first dairy queen.....

Little Miss One year old checking out the loot at her birthday party...Didn't take her long to figure out there is loot in those bags...

A RAY OF HOPE:

Last night after a beautiful rain shower, this rainbow appeared. Our dear friend Father Eugene Benda is at Mercy hospital recovering from a massive stroke he suffered Thursday morning. Father is truly fighting for his recovery..maybe this is the ray of hope from the heavens that he needs. Please say an extra prayer for him as he works his way through this tough time.

This is not a good picture of the lasagna garden, I'll have to take another one soon...there isnt much color yet, things are just getting started.

There has just been no time!!!

I know it has been over a month since I have updated this blog...but there has just been no time in between my frantic gardening projects this spring. I finally feel like I have most of what has to be done completed now.
For those of you who are just dying to know how the "Lasagna" gardening is going.....oh come on..there has to be "someone" who cares..I am glad to report I think it is so far a complete success!! Everything I have planted in these gardens are flourishing..of course it probably wont look to inspiring for awhile because it is all young yet..but the progress so far is encouraging. It has been great fun to plant all the young stock and seeds and watch it take off. I guess that is what gardening is all about.
Kurtis and I have also been trying to take a little time here and there to do some fishing over at Fa Benda's pond...and what a treat!! The first night out we couldn't catch the catfish fast enough..it took a average of about 13 seconds to land each one, but we threw them back for later. The next time over, when we intended to catch and eat about 3-4...we couldn't get a bite...apparently the ones we threw back squeeled on us! We did manage to finally catch one, cleaned it and fixed it for Fa. Benda on memorial day..we had to sneak into HyVee and get a couple more filets so Kurtis and I could have some fish....how embarassing! That's ok, we have another strategy....and it involves chicken livers for bait!!
until next time....MOM

Raised beds bursting with onions, radish;s, kohlrabi, strawberries, carrots and beans. If you suspect you're going to have a hard winter, and may starve....look me up..we will have plenty!

This is the retaining wall along the patio out front

This is the bed along the sidewalk coming in the house...

This picture looks good enough for Ch. 9's big fish show don't ya think? The catfish were biting Tuesday night....at Father Benda's pond.

Isnt this amazing? Just two weeks ago these were frozen stiff. Now they are putting on a show......Wow.

This is one of my raised beds all planted in onions...yes anyone who knows me knows I have to plant copious quantities of onions...Lets just see how well this compost does with Walla Walla, Big Daddy and Red Burgermeister.

And, there you have it..a new beautiful flower bed. It will take a bit more smoothing and raking, but then will be ready to plant. Cant you just see the flowers waving in the breeze?

Phase III: Top the entire bed with wonderful rich compost from the IC Landfill. The key to this step is to let your husband feel like he is part of the project..and you truly approve of his going out and buying a Bobcat. haha

Phase II: Cover the cardboard with aged straw or hay (I used straw) the more decomposed and wet the better.

Phase I: Lay down cardboard over the area intended for gardening. This looks pretty innocent, but when the wind came up..it got down right ugly!!! A few cuss words later and we got it covered.

Here's to LASAGNA Gardening.....an experiment in Cedar County.

Consider 82 210th Street the test grounds for Lasagna Gardening in Cedar County. I think my sister and I have determined we are so far ahead of conventional gardening practices on this one, that we may have to make time on the talk show circuit for interviews. My hopes are as high as they ever have been in anticipation of record vegetable harvest and stunning blooming power!
To date, this is what I have accomplished....I have included some photos to demonstrate. 1.) The Lasagna garden..I took lots of cardboard, threw lots of rotting straw on it, then topped it off with compost made up of lawn waste, ground branch's and food waste from the University of Iowa dining halls, now doesnt that sound like a recipe for success?? Well, give it some time and it will...it decomposes into pure black gold. 2.) Kurtis has built me three new raised beds for the garden. I did the same with them filling them with the compost. Today I planted them full of onions, radish's and kohlrabi..I cant wait to see how they do.
The thing with Gardening is that it is purely a yearly experiment to see what works and what doesnt. I feel I am somewhat the expert when it comes to some of the "It didn't work" items. But, what the hell, its still fun. Be sure to check out Jennifers blog today, could it be that the gardening genes passed on are starting to kick in??? Until next time...MOM

Here is the sign over the famous "Puka" dog restaurant. It is just a little joint in a mall, but the line was half a block long to get one of the great dogs.....

This was the view from our Condo, out on the deck. The sound of the surf crashing in was amazing. We took several strolls along the beach and got our feet wet.

A scene looking across Waimea canyon after a small rain shower...The rainbow is beautiful.

A moment out here from the beauty of the Islands. I took this picture for Wayne and Steve. These boys were putting in a new septic system....All they do is lay down PVC pipe down about two feet deep and dump the "stuff" into a pit that is created with a small stick of dynomite...no septic tanks or leach fields....Simple huh?

The size of this Bird of Paradise was just amazing..Ignore the hair...everyday in Hawaii was a bad hair day for me, but I really didn't care!

This was a guitar player at the Galloway Plantation..almost everywhere you eat on the Islands they have some entertainment, which is really beautiful.

OK, I think you have suffered long enough....

Have you had enough of the picture of me garnishing the weapon? Yeah, I think so..I know I have. I hope I haven't tarnished my almost perfect reputation..and I haven't fired a single shot since that monumental day, but then again..I haven't been challenged by any angry beasts either. Maybe word is out in the raccoon community to not try & snag a quick lunch at the backdoor anymore...
So now it is off to my current passion! Gardening. I feel like I have truly discovered the hidden treasure at the end of the rainbow. I had to have a nice long talk with Kurtis the other day, and remind him just how lucky he is that he has me to share the rest of his life with. Some women demand fur coats, multiple pairs of shoes, a different hairdresser each week....diamonds,,,,etc etc, you get the picture. Me? Nope...the only request I made of Kurtis the other day is that he accompany me to the.......Iowa City Landfill. Yep, the Iowa City Landfill. You know....where all the county garbage is hauled??? We were having a nice lunch at Carlos OKelly's when I laid the question on him. Here was my method....I asked "Kurtis, are you in a big hurry to get home? He replied "No, not really, why?" Well, I said, I would like to take a nice drive out to the Iowa City Landfill...I noticed him put his fork down, look up from his Sancho Monterey and say "The Iowa City Landfill??? What the hell would you want there?? Here is the good part....."I am interested in looking over their recycle program, I have been reading where they are making compost out there for gardens" (You see the angle now??) They collect all the yard waste, leaves, twigs and about 704 tons per year of food scraps from the dining halls at the UofI and they grind and compost it, and sell it for $10.00 per ton. Now, I ask you, what could Kurtis do but to be drop dead excited to tag along on this adventure....so a few chips later and a belly full of Mexican food...off we went. Well, let me tell you...fancy diamonds and bobbles may get some women excited....but when I stood there with mounds and mounds of black steaming compost heaped about me......I almost felt faint!!!! I had hit the mother-lode!!! I have already hit up my brother Larry to get me a full dump truck full....yep a good 7-8 tons should do!! And then......as if that wasn't excitement enough, they also have mulch....all you want for FREE!!!!! So, I am planning my new beds at this moment...you may want to take time to drive by this summer, my gardens may never look better!!!!! I can hardly sleep dreaming about scooping and hauling compost and mulch.....

Now, back to my Hawaiian trip..I will pick back up on Tuesday February 20th. This was Kurtis's birthday..not a bad place to celebrate a birthday. We started out the day by going to a old pineapple plantation called "Galloways" It has been convered into a beautiful arboretum and bed and breakfast that serves breakfast each morning. We then headed down the road to the Waimea Canyon..much like the grand canyon but Island style carved out of volcanic eruptions..it was just beautiful..except for the winding roads which in time made me sick, so we cut the trip short. We also visited the Kauaii Coffee plantation. Kurtis sampled all the different varieties, and bought a bag to bring home to Marsha. The big highlight of the day was were we ate lunch. When Jessica had heard we were going to Hawaii she was all excited and wanted to make sure we found the "Puka" dog place. The restaurant was featured on a food network show and has kind of become famous.....so off to the Puka dog we went...and had a fine delicacy for lunch. I thought they were really great!! It is a hot dog that has a bun baked on it, then a variety of sauches are injected into it when you order. I had the spicy mango relish with hawaiian mustard version and I think Kurtis had the standard catsup and hawaiian mustard. I though they were great..I think the two dogs and drinks were almost $20.00....but who cares!!
Until next time....>MOM

And now for something completely different.......

Today I am taking a small diversion from my reporting on my vacation in beautiful Hawaii....and what a diversion it is!!! After you read this blog, you will either have much for respect for me....or shake your head and realize I have officially gone over the hill now.....I'm afraid most will think the later!!
I came home from work yesterday and was minding my own business in the house thinking about and arranging for a nice home cooked meal for my sweet husband Kurtis. As I was trying to decide between BBQ'ed chicken breast on the grill, or good ole fashioned tube steaks..I was interruped by the constant barking of Millie out front on the patio. So, I headed outside ready to give a good scurging to her to shut the hell up...When I looked out and there she had a big coon trapped by the greenhouse (that was the coons first mistake). So, I said to myself "Hmmm this is a good opportunity to rid this neighborhood of one more Coon", the only problem is that I don't know if I can muster up the courage to do what has to be done.
After a couple of deep breaths, I walked back in the house, took down the ole gun from where it was hanging....and stepped outside. I looked at the weapon I had chosen....and thought, now what do I do. I formulated a plan......I'll go out....I'll point it at the creature....and I'll see what happens. You know what??? I crept around the house....Millie had cornered the coon by the front porch, so I called her to come to me....raised my weapon of mass destruction, pulled back the cocker thing, took steady aim.......and boom!!!! I blasted the beast right in the chest and killed it dead!!!! I was shaking like a leaf, and the noise was terrible (Kurt says it's nothing) but it was to me. I stood by and watched as nature took its course...called Millie again, and went back in the house. I couldn't believe it..I shot the damn thing!! Was I proud? Yeah, I think I am. I hate coons and we have too many, besides a coon that is out in the middle of the day, is usually a bad indication. So, when Kurtis came home I reported my big kill. He couldn't believe it! I'm not sure if he was impressed....or now has one more layer of fear for me than he had before. Like any true hunter, proud of their bounty..I had Kurtis snap a picture of me..I will be sending a copy to the "Outdoor Adventurer" magazine at my first convenience!!!
Until next time....MOM (Sorry kids I hope I don't embarass you too bad....but this was definately a good Steve moment!!)

Wwell, you have to admit I am certainly now above humiliated myself for the sake of the blog!!! I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist...look at that ole Coon..never knew what hit him (her?)

Here we are making our Lei's...isn't Kurtis a good sport..there were actually about 5 men having a good time. I think one of the rules for taking the pictures is that they were to be promptly destroyed before reaching home where someone could see them..

There is no doubt...Spring is in the air.....

I have been seeing Robins all around the yard lately, but quite frankly, I don't think they are bright and no matter what they seem to appear about mid February. Before I left for Hawaii I saw several of them sitting on the tree limb all puffed up on a 12 degree day..You could almost hear one of them cussing in their little Robin language "You are such a smuck!!!! I told you it was too damn early to come back to this god-forbidded state.....but nooooooo, you didnt listen did you....you, you, you jerk!!
But, now the Red Winged Blackbird, now thats a different story..when they arrive you can just about figure the weather is taking a turn for the better, and spring is on the horizon. The electric lines are full of them!! They sound so wonderful and spring like! Today is was 72 degrees when I got home..I know because my car told me so... I immediately went inside, changed my clothes and headed for the yard. I opened up the greenhouse and was amazed it was still around 98 degrees in there...I reached in and grabbed my trusty wire rake and off to the mess of a yard I went. I raked for quite awhile, but honestly it still isnt too good of raking conditions, it is very wet and soggy yet and the leaves just clump into lumps...besides that job really does suck. I gathered and threw limbs..and didnt even make a dent in them..oh well, there will more nice days coming..I hate to do all this fun stuff in one day. Now, for more on my Hawaii trip.

Day 2 February 19th. We got up bright and early at 5:20 a.m. to catch the shuttle to the Pearl Harbor museum. We checked out of the motel at 6 and left our luggage with the porters. The museum was fabulous..really a very sombering place. You start out with a video of the events and actual footage from what happened on that day that the harbor was attacked. The ferry out to the memorial is sad, but very important to see. I wish we would of had more time to take the second tour out to the Missouri, but unfortunately that will have to wait for another trip.
We arrived back to the hotel around 2 or so and went to a beach front restaurant and had lunch. Kurtis spotted the bartender making a beautiful red and white drink and quickly ordered one for me. He asked the bartender what it was, and he told him it was Pina Colada and strawberry, that it was called a "Lava Flow" ..Kurtis said "Oh, get one of those for my wife...that sounds like something she would just love", and guess what..he was right. I sipped away on my new founded drink, had a hawaiian buffet lunch of fresh fruit, seafood and breads and enjoyed the beautiful beach at Wikiki. Oh, I may just mention too, that despite all the documentaries we watched previously to taking this trip.....all the females on the beach are not "georgeous"..I may go so far as to say.....some of them make me look pretty good!!!
After lunch we had about a hour to kill before the shuttle returned us back to the airport again and a flight to Kauai, so we got in on a Lei making class...I am still in shock as to how they can have so many orchid blooms available at all times. Everywhere you go there are piles and piles of them. I was determined to eventually see where these are grown, and when we got to the big Island..I got my wish...more on that later.

This is a picture of some of the black oil drops that are slowly rising to the surface from the ship below. They are known as black tears, from the men buried there. There is somewhere between 20-30,000 gallons of oil still on board the ship and as it deteriorates, it is slowly being released.