Wisconsin Barns and Good Fences

...and a sweet photo I can label 'Throwback Thursday.'
(when grandsons were staying with us and we visited Irvine Park in Chippewa Falls)

 Cattle on a farm east of Westby, WI

 Same farm, but I wanted to get that weathered barn and windmill

 I think that white panel is supposed to be some sort of fence too.
Maybe there's a pig pen behind it. Just guessing.
Or maybe they didn't have anyplace else to store it.
I'm speaking from experience. Don't judge.

 Jake's Scottish Blackface sheep
My favorite

Linking to Theresa's Good Fences 

and Tom's The Barn Collective

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Hodgepodging Through Cobblestone Alleyways

This post probably contains the last of this year's lilacs. While the lighter-purple ones are already done, the deeper purple lilacs are still clinging tight.

Join Joyce and the Gang
for

 She writes the questions;

we write the answers.

Plug them into your own blog

and join in!

1. How should success be measured? Using that as your standard, who is the most successful person you know? (Or one of the most successful?) 

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27). That would pretty much sum it up.  There are many throughout history who have done just that, who quietly and faithfully go about their business unnoticed, not looking for reward. Watching or reading the news, you'd think that's a pretty foreign concept in today's society, but it's just that the most successful people are not going to make the headlines. 

Alleyway in London

2. Have you ever been to a hot air balloon launch/fest/party? Ever taken a ride in a hot air balloon? Is that on your bucket list? According to Frommers the ten best hot air balloon adventures in the world are-

Loire Valley (France), the Serengeti (Tanzania), Napa Valley (California), Lake Champlain (Vermont), Cappadocia (Turkey), Istria (Croatia), Gstaad (Switzerland), Yarra Valley (Australia), Muelle (Costa Rica), and Albuquerque (New Mexico). 

Which one on the list would you most like to experience?

I've never been to a hot air balloon fest. It's not on my bucket list, and although I'd like to visit France and wouldn't mind visiting Turkey and Croatia, I'd prefer to stay on the ground and wander through cobblestone alleyways, looking for good coffee, an irresistible pastry or lunch, and good photo opportunities.

 Grilled Cheese with Tomato and Basil Pesto

You can find the recipe for TWO great grilled cheese sandwiches

on THIS blog post.

3. May 25th is National Brown-Bag It Day. Did you/will you pack a lunch today? When did you last pack a lunch for someone and what are your go-to ingredients for a brown bag lunch?

I won't be packing a lunch, but if I were to do so, there would be a chicken sandwich (with onion and lots of celery) on gluten-free bread, an orange, and one of my gluten-free chocolate chip cookies that I made yesterday and hid in the freezer because somehow, believe it or not, that seems to be a bit of a deterrent. Usually.

4. What's one of your favorite dance scenes from a movie or television show? 

This is easy, for there are only two. From the movie White Christmas, Danny Kaye and Vera Ellen And that's probably because it's Lucy's favorite. I love watching her little two-year-old self, in pink tutu and wings, dancing to 'The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing' :-) My all-time favorite movie dance scene (besides watching Lucy) is Anne Reinking from Annie, 'We've Got Annie.' She is fabulous!  The links will take you to YouTube clips.

 Vera Ellen in her younger years.

Nicole Rae Photography

5. John F. Kennedy made famous the line, '...Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." So what can you do for your country?

Pray, Vote, and See answer to #1. Imagine how different our country (and world) would be if we all did that, huh.

 Beautiful Rice Lake, WI

6. Weekends are made for __________________________________.

Rest, worship, and getting Mr. C. away from work.

 St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church

Wausau, WI

7. On this last Wednesday of the month, bid farewell to the month of May in seven words or less.

'You make Wisconsin worth the winters...almost.'

 During the rain

8. Insert your own random thought here.

There are so many who are struggling - personally, financially, health-wise, on my radar screen right now. We need to be faithful pray-ers who will uphold these people before God. We are all on this fallen planet together, and we need to pray for each other, especially when others, for whatever reason, just can't.

 Those would be maple seeds. They're everywhere!

***

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Weekend at the Beach - more or less

 The grandkids playing at the backyard beach

I think the photo collage above pretty much sums up our weekend: We were with our daughter's family and it was wonderful spending time with them. They kids are a delight - and the weather was gorgeous!

Have you tried the Lemon Oreos?  I'm warning you now: They are dangerous. I have never eaten a tastier cookie. And the first one always makes you want more... ... ... ...

Of course I had to catch a quick pic of that barn.

The two framed fish charts are from our SIL's father's bait shop from years past.
They're beautiful charts. I hope they find some wall space for them.

After we returned home last night, we were out on the front porch to check out Mars, when Mr. C. pointed out the faint orange glow on the eastern horizon. I ran to get my camera, my little point and shoot, and it was accidentally still set on the macro automatic setting. It's not a great photo, but it's sure a lot better than I was expecting with my camera. After I discovered that it had been on macro, I set it to the regular auto setting (Yes, I should read my manual sometime) and when I took photos on that setting, all I got was a more defined pale yellow disk, none of the shading or the orange color. I thought that was so bizarre. So then Mr. C. dragged out his camera after the moon was a lot higher in the sky and yellow. He took a few photos with his. They were AMAZING. Unfortunately, he hadn't taken any of the moon as it was first rising. Too bad, for I think his next opportunity will be next month.

***

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All About Lilacs

Lilacs on my cookstove make me happy ♫

I don't know why John Denver popped into my head this morning, but as soon as I had that thought about the lilacs on my cookstove, I heard his voice singing...  I was not a fan but that doesn't mean I don't hear his voice when I see a country road or sunshine, or...

Fortunately, even John Denver's voice is usually drowned out by my own thoughts or voice praising God for all this beauty.

The little blackface sheep were given to me by Bobby, my cousin, and the butter churn is from Mr. C.'s grandfather. I don't know where the old box came from, but I have a few old boxes that I'm fond of, and this is one of them. 

 White lilacs and flowering crab blossoms
After the daffodils have faded, I have these amazing colors and fragrances to enjoy!

 My lighter purple lilacs, plentiful!

 The deep purple lilacs against our rusty barn roof

 Last, but not least, a photo that popped up when I was looking through my photo archives for 'lilacs.' Bridger, standing in our backyard, spring of 2005 when he was four years old. I just had to post it. If you don't want to see photos of my German Shepherd who died in May of 2013, then talk Mr. C. into getting me another GSD puppy.


 ***

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Linked to Amy's Five on Friday

and Eileen's Saturday's Critters

and Stephanie's Roses of Inspiration

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Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

 

Wisconsin Barns and Good Fences

Late afternoon, Barn north of Melvina, WI

 White Barn west of Viroqua

Could you tell that this is an Amish farm? :-)

Near Westby WI

I don't know if I've posted this photo before. I was so happy when I saw that our Amish neighbor had acquired a flock of sheep. Mr. C. tells me that the piece of equipment resting on that wagon is a pump of some sort.

Linking to Theresa's Good Fences

Tom's The Barn Collective

Evelyn's Freedom Friday

***

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Middle of Nowhere Hodgepodge

Lilacs against the silo

Join Joyce and the Gang

for

 She writes the questions;

we write the answers.

Plug them into your own blog

and join in!

1. Tell us about a time you found yourself 'in the middle of nowhere'. Was this deliberate?

 Slough - England

and I never can remember if it rhymes with Dough, Enough, or Through
Update: Elizabethd just informed me that Slough rhymes with NOW.

Slough, in the middle of nowhere, it seemed (probably because we were on a train). But then in England, even the middle of nowhere is always really close to somewhere.  In Wisconsin, the middle of nowhere is usually only close to nowhere else.  I wake up every morning to find myself in the middle of nowhere - and I like it a lot.

Rainy day in July

In the middle of nowhere
south view from our front porch

2. What's something you're 'in the middle of' today or this week?

I'm in the middle of reclaiming the garden pond and planting vegetables in the other garden. I pumped the water out of the pond, got the icky leaves, sticks, and other vegetation out so I could clean the liner, put in fresh water, and get the little stream with its waterfalls running again for the summer and fall.

Pond Reflections

3. At what age do you think 'middle age' begins? What does it mean to be 'middle aged'?

I just read that life expectancy in the US is 79 years, so I guess middle age begins at 39.5 years. What it means to be middle aged is that in a few short years your kids will start moving out of the house. But don't worry, it won't be long before you'll be able to start taking care of your aging parents. You'll see what I mean when you get there. It's a terrible feeling when you have to take the car keys away from your father.  And by that time, or hopefully before, you'll find a new freedom to not care a smidge what the Joneses are up to. Soon, you'll find yourself in the replacement category: knees, hips, etc. Bleak as that may sound, as a Christian, I know that every phase of life is ordained by God, precious to God, and every single phase is one in which we can live, by his grace, to glorify Him.

Carmen Peppers, my favorite

Fresh or roasted

4. Ravioli, stuffed peppers, samosas, deviled eggs, steamed dumplings, pierogis, or a jelly donut...your favorite food (from this list!) with something yummy in the middle. Your favorite not on the list?

I've never eaten samosas or pierogis. Are they really food? Of that list, stuffed peppers would be my favorite, for sure. I love them! I'm planting many peppers in early June and at harvest, I plan to stuff some of them. Delicious!  My favorite food with something yummy in the middle is the burger from Borgen's Cafe in Westby. I raved about it on Monday's post, but really, it was totally worth promoting. Another delicious food with a yummy middle is a York peppermint patty or a Butterfinger, but I try to avoid them. I like Oreos, but wish they would keep the yummy middle out. I hate throwing it away, but I like the crunchy outside so much better. Mr. C. thinks that a chocolate Digestive would be the same, but it's really not.

5. Albert Einstein is quoted as saying ''In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.' Would you agree? Have you found this to be true in your own life? Feel free to elaborate.

Whether we like it or not, we must look for opportunity in the middle of difficulty. What's the alternative - to simply get depressed? We either give up or move forward. I don't think there are any other choices. I'd prefer to move forward. I hope I still feel that way on June 7 (day after my attempt #2 hip replacement).

Not my Junior High School, but similar

6. What's a song you remember loving from your middle school years? Do you love it still?

Middle school wasn't invented yet when I would have been in middle school. We had elementary school, junior high, and high school. But from junior high, (dredging the recesses of my brain), it would have to be a Beatles song. 'I Want To Hold Your Hand,' was released on November 29, 1963, just seven days after the assassination of President Kennedy. The Kennedy assassination was much more of a blast on the timeline than the Beatles releasing a record, so much of my song memory from that time was probably eclipsed by Kennedy, Oswold, Jack Ruby, etc. etc.   (Oh no, I just realized that I was a sophomore in high school then. But the Kennedy connection is so interesting to me that I'm going to stick with it.)  

But I will always remember the hymns we would have been singing even during that time: Great is Thy Faithfulness, Blessed Assurance, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. And yes I love them still.

7. May 18th is National Visit Your Relatives Day. Will you celebrate? Which relative would you visit if time, distance, and expense were not considered.

I would love to visit with my mom and dad, now, before we are joined in eternity. They are with the Lord, and sometimes I wish they could come over for dinner and that Mom could walk around my yard with me, helping me identify the plants popping up in the garden. Also, the same goes for Mr. C.'s parents. They were all great parents and good examples of Christian character: Love, Faithfulness, Perseverance, Reliability, etc, and I'd love to visit with them. 

 More relatives

Moving Closer

A relative who has lived far, far away (Texas) for 10 years is our daughter and her husband. BUT, they are moving back to Wisconsin. It will be wonderful to have them so much closer! 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

 The daffodils have now faded,

but the flowering crab and lilacs are in full bloom.

Such a joy to see new life and color and beauty.

P.S. Speaking of 'middle,' I'm a middle child. How about you?

***

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Best Hamburgers in America - and Vintage Treasures

 In the Driftless area of SW Wisconsin, in the heart of the Kickapoo River Valley, is the little Norwegian village of Westby. In the little village of Westby is a little cafe. And in the little cafe is a chef who makes the BEST hamburgers in America. You can argue with me, but I have a First Amendment Right to say that, and besides, I suspect it's true. Just as I stated that The Cricketers Pub in Canterbury has the best fish & chips in England. Prove me wrong. I accept airfare.

ANYway, Borgen's is an institution. It's been there as long as I can remember, although sadly, it did close for a while. But now it has opened under new management and offers the most amazing hamburgers. They're delicious, tender, crispy on the outside (I'm a huge fan of crispy, and if I keep eating those hamburgers each time I'm down there, I'll probably be a huge fan, full stop!)  I think they make the hamburger buns in house, they always serve it with lettuce, tomato, and a dill pickle. I recommend it highly. Worth the trip to Wisconsin. I would tell you about their other food too, but the hamburger is so good that I order it every single time. I do order the 3 oz. Senior Burger and  I do give most of my crispy French fries to Mr. C., so that helps, I think. Doesn't it?

In the photo above is a stack of antique Bibles, two in Norwegian and one in Danish. All were found by Mr. C. on job sites where buildings were being demolished. It's also why we have about 36 slate blackboards. I can't bear to see actual slate blackboards destroyed.

The encyclopedias are from the late 1800's, and I shouldn't tell you that when I was a kid, (and yes, they were already old then!) I cut a picture of Abraham Lincoln out of one of them for a school report. I don't think I've ever cut another picture from a book again - ever. In fact, I have only recently been able to bring myself to throw away any hardcover books. Some go to my children, some books go to Goodwill, and some books are worthy only of the dumpster (a tiny category).

The little black onyx (or maybe just black glass, but I've always thought he was onyx) dog once belonged to my older brother, but he didn't care about it, or at least didn't notice that it went missing back when I was about 12. Poor little Scottie has a broken foot and one broken ear that he suffered when he fell onto the cast iron Home Comfort cookstove in our kitchen. 

Lastly, is an antique telephone. It doesn't have settings or apps or a gallery. I think that use of the phone pictured, other than as an intercom between the barn and house on the farm when I was growing up, predates even my youth, buried in the sands of time though that may be. But until I was seven years old, we did have a wall phone that you had to crank like that, so... Anyway, our ring was 3 longs and 1 short, I think. It was on a party line, which meant everyone on the line (all the neighbors) heard everyone else's phone ringing, and everyone always knew everyone else's business - a lot like Facebook, actually.

 ***

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Linking to  Kathe's You're Gonna Love It
Tom's Tuesday's Treasures

Evelyn's Freedom Friday

Amy's Five on Friday (unless I can find five other things by then)

Instagram: @cranberrymorning