The geese are starting to return...spring is nearly here!

Today was a day on the road. First off, was sent on an errand to transfer, literally, money from a savings account in one bank to the checking account in another. I was headed straight for the bank, but ended up taking a side track when I got into Herreid. The deputy sheriff of Campbell County was at the state line when I crossed the border, and he followed me all the way into town. I thought there was a rule about following only two miles at a time. That trip was seven miles. By the time we hit town, I was sick of seeing him in the rear view mirror, so I turned off at the first street and went to my house there. This man has harassed me a few times. I won’t go into details, but it feels creepy.

I should actually erase that first paragraph. I don’t understand why I go the places that I go sometimes, but I guess it is there, so it will just stay there. While at the house checking how things were doing, I took a look around to see if there were any of the things available that I have been making lists of using in the garden and in a reuse, recycle way. Instead of explaining all of the things that I looked at and thought about. I will leave a few photos to explain what I have been thinking of.

Looking from the yard towards the house.

In the yard looking south.

I show these edges because I am thinking of how to edge these flower gardens so that we can add dirt and build them up to the same level as the concrete. By the way sister Adrienne move on to another post and ignore this one. For those of you who don’t know my family, my sister works in the assessors office, and I don’t want my taxes changing because of this concrete. Sort of the family joke. Anyway, I have been trying to figure out how to improve this flower garden area, and ultimately put up a structure to encourage vine plants so that it becomes a natural privacy fence. The main reason it isn’t finished already is that I am trying to do it without spending anything, basically using recycled or repurposed items. So, I spent a little time today searching the shops and sheds. No luck so far.

A few other projects around the area for early this spring include steps on the east door. Next is the flower plot on the northeast corner of the house. This one, I finally have figured out, it is just a matter of making myself do it. I can use newspaper in place of purchasing a roll of weed blocker. I am excited about that money saver.

Current steps at the east door. We do NOT allow non family to use them.

Northeast corner flower garden.

The big improvements are what Adrienne would like to do on the joint property. My father once had a great fire pit area that was more like a place you would see in an old-fashioned park area. It was made of concrete blocks and cemented together with a grill cemented right into it, and it even had a chimney. We used to cook all sorts of things on that, but mainly hot dogs. We still have the old picnic table that we ate at for those family picnics. Here are two photos of possible spots to put in an updated version of a patio fire pit area.

Here is where the original fire pit was.

Another possible spot.

Old steps.

Some family want to toss these old steps. I think if we turned them a different direction and filled them with dirt, we would have a cute flower bed. Hopefully I can get this done before someone else tosses them.

While I was in Herreid, I heard the honking of Canadian Geese. It is a wonderful sound at this time of year even if it is a bit premature, we know that when the geese start returning, spring really isn’t all that far away. I tried to find evidence of what I heard in Herreid, but it wasn’t until I was in North Dakota passing Rice Lake that I was able to get a photo of any geese. They didn’t even move when I pulled over and rolled down the window to snap their photo. Knowing they are coming back makes me more hopeful.

Geese on Rice Lake.

Oh my as lovely as that last photo and last thought is, and I should end it there, I can’t. My trip to Herreid was the shortest and least important of my trips on Thursday. My real trip was to Sterling to meet Victoria and Jaxon. Jaxon gets to have a Grandparents weekend. Right now as I am writing to you, he is coughing up a storm in the spare bedroom. Victoria promised him that Grandma would make him feel better, and we are trying. I rubbed him with Watkins salve after his shower, and gave him his cough medicine. Tomorrow, we will be cooking up a pot of chicken soup. I think from the sounds of it, I might be doing that sooner than later.

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