Fried Green Tomato?

I grew a couple of tomato plants given to me by a colleague; they are doing really well.

Except we've had such a cool summer they weren't ripening, I was beginning to worry. In the last week we've had sunny weather and a few have ripened.

Fun in the City

A couple weekends ago, I had fun with friends in Minneapolis - it was a shopping day. We hit up all the important stuff, Ikea (see the blue bag), REI, and the Asian grocery store. And we listened to 80s music - Jodi & Kate, thanks for a fun day!

Who said we're not doing our part to help the economy? We probably won't be smiling when we get the credit card bill.

Happy Retirement Mom! You've worked so hard for a very long time, at times you've had 3 jobs. You sacrificed a lot for Jen and I and we LOVE YOU. Who we are today is because you're the BEST MOM EVER! Wishin' you many fun-filled retirement days; may you enjoy waking up late, "putzing around the yard", and anything else your heart desires. Hopefully you'll come to Wisconsin too!

Busy, busy, busy

Yes, it's been a while since the last post - it's been a bit busy around here. The students are back in town for the start of the semester so there's been a lot to do. So much so that we had to go for happy hour last Friday. Drink your mango marg!

A few margs, chips & salsa, and we were feeling much better; Kate looks happy!

Them Bones

Lamb-a-lot farms sells its lamb at the Farmer's Market and they recently began selling roasted lamb bones - a canine yummy! I gave one to Misty and she looked at it for a while, not quite sure what to do.

Here's the sniff test,

then the lick,

"I guess it's safe or mom wouldn't have given it to me. May as well chow down!"

Fun at the River

I love working at UW-Eau Claire - good people and a scenic campus right along the river. We went to the river one afternoon and here's a view of the library and one of the residence halls.

A view of the humanities building and the infamous bridge. Students hate the bridge; they say it's too cold to walk across in the winter.

Todd and Misty wading out. The water is very low, just above ankle deep, and not very cool.

The mini-falls where the creek empties into the river.

This is my favorite picture. Notice Misty? I caught her just as she fell in, head first, rear end in the air. There must have been a ledge there - poor girl didn't see it comin'.

Cow Sex

That's right, you read correctly, this post will be about cow sex - sorry, no pictures - we're keeping it semi-PG. Todd's training for the Twin Cities marathon at the beginning of October and I'm helping out. I'm what mom and dad Wellnitz would call the "sag wagon." I followed Todd on my bike, carrying water, an extra shirt, letting him know the mileage and the time, and getting some much needed exercise myself. Today's run/bike was 13 miles along the country roads just south of our house. Its so peaceful out there, you see fields of corn and soy beans, barns, and cows.

We were passing a field and I saw 4 enourmous cows who started running; 3 males were trying to mount the lone female. One mounted her on her back side, another on her head (for goodness sakes!) and the third didn't really know what to do except stand close by and he was clearly "excited" too.

You feel bad for the female; she just sat down in the grass to get them off of her, there wasn't much else she could do.

Nature in the backyard

It's amazing what one finds when you aimlessly walk around the yard. I don't know what made me look up, but here's what I saw in the lilac bushes.

A closer view of somebody's home.

I got the ladder and went for a closer look; nobody home.

What happened to my tree?

I looked out the window and saw that my tree was brown. This picture doesn't do it justice; it really looks rust orange.

Upon closer examination, there is some horid mold growing on the berries; weird. I think it's caused by the unseasonably cool and wet weather we had most of the summer. I hope with the sunny, warmer days, this mold thing will go away and not kill my tree.

A Mole Tale

I was mowing the other day and noticed tunnels in the yard; strange, I hadn't seen them last time I mowed. As I mowed I stomped on the tunnels because the grass was dying. At first I thought I was seeing things because whenever I stomped the tunnel, the ground in front of my foot would move. Oh my.......I found the digger!

You can see the snaking of the tunnel, just look for the dead grass. I didn't have a tool nearby and didn't want to lose track of the "tunnel maker" so I dove my hand into the ground.

Here's the proof.................

And further proof, here's what I came up with.............I captured the mole. This is why it's good to always have an ice cream bucket handy; it's useful for so many things, weeds, critters, etc.

I saw my neighbor across the street and asked her, "what do you do with a mole once you catch it?" She said you dispatch it. What does that mean? I was thinkin' of taking it to an unnamed park so he or she could make it's home some place else.

Moles are squirmy things that squeek like mice (but their fur is oh-so soft) - I couldn't get a clear picture. Of course, they won't smile for the camera - they don't even know you're taking a picture because they're blind, I'm not even sure they have eyes. They live in the dark so I guess they don't need them.

At one point it wriggled out of my hands and Misty got a hold of it in her mouth and was having fun flinging it around. Poor mole - amazing it didn't kill over from fear. Anyway, the mole was "dispatched," thank goodness for nice neighbors. Don't ask, I feel horrible about it, even though I didn't actually do the "dispatching," I was an accomplice. For shame! Sorry lil' mole but you were destroying the yard.