Something You Don't See Everyday!

Tommy in Fatigues! There were some visiting Canadian troops at the Air Force Base where Tommy works that gave him a helicopter ride. He looks kind of nervous.

Tommy's the second one from the end.

He said that they went 140 mph (225 kph)hugging the ridge line from Camp Douglas, WI to Sparta, WI (about 45 miles or 70 km) and back.

More Monarchs & Garden update

Reeve is constantly searching on milkweed for more Monarch caterpillars and he found one! Just when I thought we were done for the season. At any rate it continues to be an excellent learning adventure for Reeve and Kyle.
Reeve and Kyle are sitting on the raised bed we made last year. I harvested the garlic and it's drying now. Now this bed has a few carrots, dill, basil, and I started some lettuce mix. I really love this raised bed. It's small but it's such a joy to weed. I get to sit which makes weeding extremely easy. Also since we don't walk in it the soil is really loose. Those garlic bulbs just popped right out. Last year I remember having to dig in hard clay soil and ending up damaging the garlic. The garlic was also moldy (not enough air circulation) last year, but this year it was beautiful. I should take a pic of that soon :-). In front of the boys are Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins.




This is a picture of the new raised bed I started to make. We had a lot of concrete blocks just sitting around. They were previously under the mobile home which thankfully has been removed. I decided I didn't like this raised bed so much. It's a lot of block for little garden space. Then I planted pie pumpkins and buttercup squash which needs loads of room. That was poor planning on my part. It's turning out okay so far, but there will be definite changes next year.
We planted cucumbers on the other side of the first raised bed. Beyond the fence is all burdock and nettles. The nettles have sneaky seeds that fly through the air and land right in the garden. I'm constantly weeding those sharp suckers.





An updated picture of the garden. The cilantro has bolted, the lettuce bolted and I removed it. I planted more spinach, and the kale is coming up. I have to figure out a better plan for the tomatoes next year. They get so huge and overbearing. You should have seen it last year. This year still looks out of control but it's 100% better than last year. The cabbage has been delicious and abundant. As a matter of fact I'm going to make some more cole slaw today. I should try to make sauerkraut, but I haven't worked up enough nerve for that yet.

DeeDee's Memorial

On Sunday we went to Chicago to celebrate the life and memory of my second cousin Carolyn Sands (aka DeeDee). Her husband Butchie gathered her closest friends and family and we celebrated at one of their favorite Mexican restaurants Mi Tierra's in Chicago near their home in Cicero.


DeeDee was an extremely festive person and this really was the perfect place to remember her.



There was lots going on in the restaurant. They had a wonderful Mariachi Band. They serenaded each table. Reeve and Kyle absolutely loved it and couldn't stop dancing in their seats.

Tommy, Butchie & Reeve

Reeve is sporting his new "TickFinderFriendly" haircut.

Silly Teeth

I'm happy to report that Reeve is feeling 100% again. However we noticed something wrong with his teeth.








Have we been forgetting to brush their teeth?











No, they just love these silly joke teeth. Reeve can't stand to see them in Kyle's mouth, and Kyle wants to wear them all the time!

Ticks Suck!

There have been no updates recently because for the past two weeks Reeve hasn't been 100%. He's had a mild fever, been lethargic, and started complaining of neck pains and headaches. Recently we suspected Lyme's disease. Thursday we were able to get an appointment with a doctor... unfortunately our normal doctor was on vacation. They took a blood sample and sure enough it came back positive for Lyme's disease. Poor kid is on antibiotics for the next 21 days. In less than 24hrs of taking the antibiotics Reeve has cooled down temperature wise and is really getting back to his normal happy self. He says he's feeling much better and finally has an apetite again.

End of the Monarch pics... I think!

Well we have one more Monarch yet to hatch, but here are the boys with the second Monarch to hatch this year.

Finally we let the butterfly dry its wings some more on the apple tree by our garden.

Kyle & the Monarch... Part2

Kyle was a good sport while I took pictures of the Monarch crawling all over his face. This happened to Reeve last year, and he wasn't about to let that Monarch on his face this year, so Kyle's the poster Monarch child this year.

Kyle and the Monarch... Part1

Kyle was initially upset that Reeve got to hold the Monarch first. So in this first pic Kyle is showing how cool he can be without smiling. This picture was taken after Kyle decided to run around the house to get out some of his agression for not being first.

The Monarch quickly lightened Kyle's mood and proceeded to crawl all over his face, which of course cheered him up. How many people can say they've had a newborn butterfly crawl all over their face?

Reeve & the Monarch

Reeve didn't want the Monarch to go on his head this year, so here's some conservative Reeve shots.

Butterfly Independence!

We had a great 4th of July with the Birth of the Monarchs from their chrysallises.

Country Jacuzzi

Tom rides his bike to work, so when he comes home he goes in his Country Jacuzzi! Reeve & Kyle love this, and make him create a whirlpool. Kyle is usually in the center of the vortex, and a couple of times it has dragged him under. They all love it. I haven't warmed up to it quite yet. I still think a solar heated hot shower is more my cup of tea.

Monarchs Getting Ready

Well we knew last night that the Monarchs would soon be emerging from their chrysallises. Their chrysallis becomes super clear and you can acutally see their black & orange wings! It's incredibly beautiful and hard to capture with a 2 pixel digital camera.

Ouch!

Thought I'd get some red, white, & blue stripes for the 4th of July. I was so busy weeding the garden, mowing the weeds, and trying to keep cool with a shirt that obviously didn't fit me!

Farm Babies

Friday I rode my bike with both boys in the Burley wagon. HEAVY! We went to my friend Brenda's place because the kids wanted to see Brenda's baby calf, chicks, rabbits, and puppy.
I never did get a good picture of the baby calf. The little calf was very shy. The ride there was all downhill. On the way home I made Reeve & Kyle get out of the Burley and we all walked up the very steep hill. We've been told that when they built the road they didn't follow any steepness or grade standards and the hill is actually illegally steep. There's been a few times after a snow that Tom cannot make it up the hill in his car... even after it's been plowed. When that happens he has to go about 7 miles out of his way to come home on the other side of the hill.

More Splash Pad Pictures

Swimming lessons are going well. Yesterday they used the kick board and Reeve really loved that part. Kyle is getting better about relaxing when he's floating on his back. It's hard for me to take pictures during the lesson because I'm in the water with them. Each day it is just a tad warmer, and each day they seem to enjoy the lessons more.

Last caterpillar to make chrysallis

We brought the first caterpillar to make a chrysallis into the Elroy Public Library where he will stay until he hatches.
We now have 3 at home and this is the last caterpillar made her trek to the top of the net yesterday to form her chrysallis.
The whole process constantly amazes us. When they are in this stage they look like they are in a deep prayer before their next transformation. They kind of bob their head, and the way they are curled up really makes it seem like they are chanting.

Swimming Lessons

The boys started swimming lessons Monday. They really love them so far, but it would be 10 times more wonderful if it was just a tad warmer. The pool is heated, but not that much. For their lessons it's been in the low 70's and cloudy when they're in the pool. We're hoping today will be a bit warmer.


This waterworks area will be very enjoyable when it warms up, but yesterday the water was chilly coming out. Kyle didn't even want to take off his towel to go in. Reeve really wanted to try it out, but didn't really want to get wet.

Blow Out on The Ride Home

On the way home we wanted to test if I could ride the bike with Reeve's trail behind bike and the bike carrier attached to the trail behind. It was too much for Tom's old tires and shortly after we got rolling we heard a very loud bang! My rear tire blew out. Tom rode my bike back to our house to get the truck to come pick us up. Luckily we were by an intersection. You'll notice it's the same Cty Hwy H rode where we saw the wandering cow on Friday. The kids and I waited a timely 20 minutes which was not bad at all and saved me from treking up the huge hills on the way home. Next time we'll make sure to bring the patch kit, tubes, and pump.

Reeve said it was the best day he's ever had riding the bike and he can't wait until we do it again. He was so good at it we're considering taking a 3day weekend bike trip. We can bike from our house to Sparta in less than a day. Camp in Sparta, and then bike home the last day. We've heard the campground in Sparta is really nice. By car Sparta is about 40 miles from our house. We just have to work out the logistics of what to bring and how to carry it. The trail behind can hold a lot of gear and Kyle.... we'll see!

They set the Fair up in the Elroy Park, which is a huge park with soccer field, tennis courts, slides, swings, and the swimming pool. This is where the kids will start their swimming lessons tomorrow.