Another Windy Day

Not sure where this spider came from, but we find one of these every year in our bathroom. This fuzzy spider reminds me of a mini wolf spider. Thanks to my son for taking this creature outside!

Another colorful beauty that is blooming right now in the garden...we also have purple iris too.

Bailed out today from doing a bike ride since we had winds of 25 mph blowing ALL day. At times the wind gusts were even higher because the bed sheets blew off the clothes line outside. I like to hang my clothes outside to dry on the weekends, and today it didn't take them long to dry with the high winds.

The highlight of my day was going to the farmer's market and picking up some wonderful fresh tapenade, humus dip and a jalapeno-olive cheese spread. Check out the local vendor, Alchemy Family Farms.

Quiet Friday

It certainly felt like a Friday today, especially at work. Today was my catch up day overall. Woke up early this morning and the wind was just blowing and blowing from the northwest...I groaned. Ho Hum! I ended up whimping out and didn't cycle into work. Tomorrow is another day however.

The tulip picture was taken from our yard. Our tulips always bloom late because our yard is shaded with pine and oak trees. I just love all the colors of the tulips growing in our yard. This purple tulip is my favorite.

Two Women, Two Bicycles, Two Brains

Ya know, I was kind of impressed today....impressed by Becca and ME! Becca received a new Yakima bicycle rack by UPS yesterday. It was up to Becca (and maybe a little me) to figure out how to attached the new bicycle rack to her car, plus load her mountain bike and road bike securely.

In the morning, Becca took the bicycle rack out of the box and started reading the directions. Then I came outside and read the directions....well, maybe not as carefully as my daughter. It was up to both of us to figure out how to put this new bicycle rack on her "older" vehicle so she could haul her two bikes back to Minnesota. Hey, I was impressed! Between a smart and freshly graduated college student and her 48 year old mother, we figured it out efficently!

Ok, be sure you read the text in this picture. I cracked up laughing after spending 40 minutes helping Becca get this bicycle rack exactly put in place, and then she read the very last picture. Be sure to click on the photo to read the text clearly.

Here's the proof in what they mean by a "enjoying a cold beverage." Only a cyclist would think of something like this! Way to go Yakima....your my kind of people.

Gosh, I had fun this morning. I'm so proud of my daughter who has a renewed love of cycling. After four years of college, she can now go back to enjoying bicycling like in her non-stressed younger years. Remember Becca when you use to ride the Red Cedar trail and you would lag behind singing to yourself in your own little world? I hope you can enjoy those kind of rides again.

It Was a Very Good Day

Got home late this afternoon from our little shopping trip, plus my daughter also had a doctor's appointment....got to squeeze as much into three days ya know! So we two girls where plotting what to make for dinner, and Becca got this idea to scan through all her recipes she's been collecting and trying out over the last four years at college. The above picture is the makings of cream cheese wontons (oh, the green onions were for our other recipe).

I got the job of frying the wontons in cooking oil. Everything was going good until after I took this picture, the oil got really crazy and started spitting and spitting. Not sure what happened but I think I had the heat a little too high. Thankfully I was wearing a long sleeved shirt because oil was splattering everywhere and my hand got fried, but my arms were covered whoo hoo. Not so good for my cotton shirt however. Live and learn. Always watch the heat level on cooking oil! Thanks Chris for saving me with the spatter screen.

The other thing my daughter made was something called "peanut pasta" which consisted of cooked linguine noodles, peas, green onions, shredded carrots, and a sauce made from crunchy peanut butter, soy sauce, canyenne pepper, lemon juice, orange juice, garlic, ginger. I also had a couple chicken breast grilling outside, so I cut those up and put them in the peanut pasta. Oh my, my, it was sooooo good.

Wow, both our kids can cook. I feel like a really lucky mom. Maybe after all those years of the kids seeing me cook in the kitchen and them watching me, it really has paid off.

Chris came over tonight for dinner too, so it was nice to have both my kids with me tonight. I'm still in my glory....can you tell?

Summer Job

My husband has been preparing for this day since last December! Today was the start of his DNR lake monitoring job in Northern Wisconsin. It took him half the day yesterday to pack up his car with all the needed essentials for being out on many lakes during the work week. Since bike time will be limited, he decided to take his bike along to do evening rides. I remember my husband saying something like they have 300 lakes site visits they will have to do this summer. The woman in charge of this DNR grant is the one that just got married on Saturday. I hope she and her new husband can manage to take a honeymoon this fall!

I decided to take an extra day off from work today so Becca and I could spend some time together before she leaves in a couple days. Not sure if we will get out on the bike again, but we do plan on doing a little shopping together.....maybe a little Acoustic Cafe lunch too!

Bicycle Maintenance

Becca and I went out for a nice 20 mile bike ride today along the county roads. The east wind was pretty gusty, so we both experienced sand & pollen in our eyes and throats. I just can't believe how much wind we've had lately.

After we got back from our ride, Becca got a lesson on tire maintenance from her dad. I'm glad Becca wants to learn bicycle maintenance...it does come in handy for basic repairs and touch-ups.

Overall, it was a nice day to be outside. Riding bike with my daugther was really special today....guess I'm still on my momma high!!!

One More Moving Day

I've lost count how many times our kids have moved since graduating from high school. We helped Becca move last weekend after graduation in Duluth, and now this weekend it was Chris's turn. Today was the first day he and his new roommates could move into their apartment.

First I went to church this morning, then I met up with Chris and Ted at Chris's current apartment. The guys had already made one big trailer load when I arrived, but there was lots of stuff left to move.

I took some pictures of "move-in" day...that's just the mom in me! Right now the kids don't have a lot of furniture, but I'm sure that will change by fall. This apartment actually has five bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, plus a laundry room. This place will be a step-up from Chris's current apartment.

I know this looks bad, but this is Chris's bedroom. At this point today, all we did was move stuff from one apartment to the other.

This won't be the last move, I'm sure of that. It's amazing how much your kids can accumulate over 3-4 years in college.

Becca also came home today for a little visit. It's nice to have her home, even if it's only for four days. I'm in my glory right now...I feel like a mom again!