Simply Norma

On a cool Sunday morning while leaves were still falling, I decided to head out and leaf blow to gather all the leaves in one area of our yard.  Putting on a hat, a flannel lined shirt and wrapping a scarf around my neck, I grabbed the leaf blower and plugged it in.

Turning the leaf blower on, I did the back of our property and headed closer to the garage to work on the front.  From the corner of my eye, I could see my husband was also outside working with earphones on listening to music on his iPod.

“So many leaves,” I muttered to myself. “And this leaf blower is so heavy.”  We use an electric one so we don’t have to bother with purchasing gas.

All of a sudden, I felt my neck being pulled towards the leaf blower.  Looking down, I noticed that the end of my scarf had gotten sucked into the bottom of the blower. Holding down the leaf blower with one hand and the scarf with the other, I looked around and yelled at my husband who was behind me to unplug the leaf blower.  Alas!  He couldn’t hear me.

Unable to move without letting go of my scarf, I kept yelling and yelling for what felt like many minutes. I didn’t want to panic but fear was starting to creep up in my thoughts.

Yelling even louder, I finally got my husband’s attention and he went and unplugged the leaf blower.

Gathering my composure, I looked at the bottom of the blower to see why my scarf was able to get sucked in.  It had a cover on it but there were holes where the scarf was able to penetrate.

It’s interesting to me how I viewed this situation versus how my husband viewed it.  He was nonchalant about the whole thing whereas I look back and see that I could have been strangled by a leaf blower.  Not the way I wish to die ~ well, there really isn’t any way I really want to die.

A friend suggested next time I tuck my scarf inside my shirt or jacket.  Good idea ~

The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum is an amazing place to visit.  I was awed by the 1137 acres of beautiful plants and trees which includes a hosta garden and a Japanese garden which is quite spectacular!  Of course, I love Japanese gardens so I may have a slanted view.

There were very few people when we visited which made for a peaceful walk throughout the arboretum.

One of the places we spent a goodly amount of time at was the “tree” section. They had all varieties of tree ~ both small and large.

For some reason, trees seem to “talk” to me.  I know that sounds kind’ve odd but when I look at a tree my brain usually relates it to people and their journeys in life.

This tamarack really did a lot of “talking.”  (No, I’m not going nuts …)  It reminded me of how our lives branch out into different areas and yet each branch is connected to the main trunk.

Whether alone or grouped together as in a “family,” the trees all spoke of their journey in this world.

This vibrant crabapple tree with its branches full of berries reminded me how much we as individuals are able to give to each other from the experiences that we have.  Empathy, joy, compassion ~ so many things humans have to offer.

As in a deep color red, some of us have experiences that go far back in time ~ many of us can’t even understand why we do certain things in our lives yet ~ yes, yet, an old experience creeps in our daily lives unnoticed.

I was surprised when we came around the bend and ran into a sculpture garden.  Although I enjoy looking at sculptures, many times they confuse me and I can’t wrap my head around what the artist was trying to convey.  I am definitely a tree person.

So ~ what do you think the artist was trying to portray in the sculpture below?

Lastly (although there was much more to see) we walked through the Japanese and hosta gardens.  I could have stayed here for a long long time as it is such a peaceful atmosphere.

I really believe that my genes are misplaced ~ I’m really Japanese instead of Puerto Rican.  hehe

Although “rock” seems cold to me, whenever they are placed in a pathway, they always make me feel “at one” with them ~ as if we are journeying together.

The fountain in this garden is one I’d like to replicate in my own yard.  The sound of moving water is supposed to keep deer away also.  Interesting, no?

More “falling” water …

From the Japanese Garden we went straight into the Hosta Garden.  We have so many hostas in our own yard that they don’t excite me as much as they should, however, I do like the walkway on the path.

Such a beautiful arboretum ~ calm and thought encouraging.

We recently walked through the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chanhassen, Minnesota which was quite a beautiful place.  The leaves on the trees here had just started changing colors and I noticed one tree in particular had large pods on it.  The name of the tree was a Cucumber Tree Magnolia and it also had pods on the ground that had fallen.

I had never heard of this type of tree ~ have you?

It was a beautiful tree with large leaves and, of course, these large pods. The tree can grow 60-80 feet tall with a 35-60 foot span.  That’s quite a large tree!

This magnolia prefers full sun but tolerates partial shade and needs deep, moist, well-draining soil that is slightly acidic.

Being adventurous, I bent over and picked up a pod thinking that perhaps I could plant the seeds when I returned home.

These trees obviously need a large open space to grow, but I wondered if it can be grown as a bonsai. That’s what I’m hoping although I’m going to try growing it both indoors and out.

After doing some internet research, I learned that these pods require a lot of patience to grow ~ even as much as a few months before seeing a seedling.  Well, why not?, I asked myself.

The first thing I had to do was let the pod sit on the table until it started to “pop” out these red seeds.  This requires the pod to get very very dry.  Not a hard thing to accomplish in Minnesota but I waited 2 weeks for the red/orange-ish seeds to start popping through.

After most of the red-orangish seeds start to pop out, I carefully pulled them out.  Then I had to remove this orangish cover to get to the actual seed which is a dark brown ~ almost looks like a coffee bean to me.

I took a paper towel and simply rubbed the outer cover off of the seed.  It didn’t take long at all.

Here’s a closer look at the seed.

Next I had to make a choice on how I wanted to get the seed to “hibernate” for the winter.  They need to be at around 40° Fahrenheit.

I decided to go the “refrigerator” route which required I put some wet dirt in a plastic bag, add the seeds and refrigerate.  The seeds should not get dry.

And now ~ the waiting begins. In March I hope to plant the seeds in small containers ~ one to try to grow as a bonsai and the other ~ well, I’m not sure yet as we have so many trees on our property that finding a perfect place for it will be tough.  But, who knows, some of our trees might be felled by the time this seedling is ready to be placed outside.

Wish me luck!

UPDATE:

It’s been 3 years since I tried this experiment and a reader asked if the experiment worked.  Unfortunately, it did not.

When I took the seeds/dirt out of the refrigerator in the spring of 2017, I allowed them to come to room temperature on a table.

I then planted them and left them in the sunniest spot I could find indoors on a windowsill.  They never sprouted.

If I’m fortunate to find them again, perhaps I can try now that I live in a house that has plenty of sunshine.

Not too long ago, we drove past a small town in Wisconsin called Pepin that had a museum in memory of Laura Ingalls Wilder.  Do you remember her from the TV show Little House On the Prairie with Michael Landon?  Well, if you don’t recall, the show was about the life of a family who lived in the 1870’s and 1880’s.

The show covered topics such as adoption, blindness and alcoholism ~ just to name a few.  It portrayed what might be considered a “simpler” time in life.

We decided to pay the fee to go inside the museum.

Once inside, we learned that the town was Laura’s place of birth.  It was a fairly small museum but had interesting stories and items.

The below is called a “prairie dress” and is typical of the dresses worn in her day.  I kind’ve like it.

One thing I didn’t know was that they had sewing machines “back in the day.”  No special stitches on these older models like the fancy ones nowadays that have 150 various stitches.  A more simpler time …

I’m not sure I would want to use one of these older stoves.  I really do like the convenience that mine has to offer ~ mainly electronic.

The quilt below is hand sewn although not from the period that Laura Ingalls lived in.  It’s a reproduction though.  As a fairly new quilter, I know it takes a lot of time to hand quilt these which is why I make mine via sewing machine.

The covered wagon below was built in the late 19th or early 20th century by the Rock Island Plow Company in Rockford, Illinois.  It’s typical of a farm wagon of that era.  In Laura’s stories (books that were written by her), the farm wagon was used as a temporary home as the family journeyed from one home to another.

Can you picture yourself in one of these?

Below is a picture of Laura in her older days.

And here’s a picture of Laura when she was 17 along with her husband Almanzo.

And here’s a photo of Laura and Almanzo’s Golden Wedding anniversary …

Laura wrote a series of “Little House” books that the TV show was kind’ve based on. As with all movies, they don’t always follow the book’s plot.

And there you have it.

A trip down memory lane with Laura.  It was interesting to go to this museum and read about her “real” life.

The TV show always ended on a positive note which is what I liked about it.  I know life is not always that way but sometimes how we look at things can make a huge difference.

There are few places I’ve visited where I have really really admired the clouds.   Minnesota is one of the top places for clouds.  Yes, I know I may be prejudiced since I live here now but some days they appear so spectacularly in the sky.

Here’s a few I’d like to share with you ~

Reminds me of a Bible verse I read:  “Do you know how the clouds hang poised, those wonders of him who has perfect knowledge?”  Job 37:16

Any places you’d like to share with great looking clouds?

On a recent trip home traveling through Fergus Falls, Minnesota, we saw a sign for the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center and decided to stop “where people and wildlife come together.”

The parking lot was practically empty (not a good sign) but we parked anyway and sauntered up to read an introduction sign.  After reading the sign we started walking towards the main building and were stopped by a couple coming out of the building.  They advised us that the building was closed today.  What???? On a Sunday? Yes, it’s only open Monday through Friday and some Saturdays for special events.  What a bummer.

We were told we could walk on the trail if we wanted to so we decided to so.  Why not since we were already there?

The Learning Center buildings are huge and appear to have classrooms.

There is hunting allowed during certain times of the year along with wildlife viewing (we didn’t see anything while we were there though).

“The Prairie Wetlands Learning Center offers environmental education programs for learners of all ages. The programs feature hands-on and minds-on activities that are conducted on 330 acres of native and restored prairie and wetlands by professional educators, college interns and highly trained volunteers.”

It was a beautiful sunny day.  Not much wildlife in sight though.

Definitely prairie …

The picture below is looking back at the buildings from the trail.

Towards the end of the trail we noticed a contemporary looking birdhouse, or should I say houses?. I wonder what kind of bird this is supposed to attract.  Thoughts?

Not sure how I would rate this Learning Center since we weren’t able to go inside.  The trail was well taken care of though.

On a recent trip to Fargo, North Dakota, we drove through a small town in Minnesota called Little Falls and decided to stop when we saw they had a zoo. The Pine Grove Zoo is small ~ big enough for a small town but still a little disappointing although from reading their history it seems like they’ve come a long way. (Donations are always appreciated.)

The animals appeared lethargic and listless.  I felt really sorry for a couple of them.  From what I recall, some of the areas for the animals to wander in didn’t give them much space.  Perhaps that’s part of the problem ~ although I’m not a zookeeper so it’s speculation on my part.

Let’s start with the cheerful part of this trip ~ the happier looking animals.

This alpaca was friendly.  He was donated to the zoo because he didn’t have goodly fur to donate anymore.

The Yaks weren’t overly friendly ~ staying at a distance.

The zebras looked healthy and were moving around ~ wandering wandering.  Can you tell if they are twins by their stripes?

There were so many black tailed prairie dogs burrowing around in a field of dirt. I wondered out loud “Why can’t they burrow themselves out of here?”  Right?

These two donkeys, although in a small pen, looked happy as a lark.  Can you see the smile on the one on the left?

Now for the not so cheerful part of this trip …

Although this arctic wolf looks like he’s smiling (now, how would I know that?), he was pacing back and forth, and back and forth.  To me, he appeared anxious and his coat seemed unkept, scraggly.

Click here for some facts on this wolf.  They are adaptable to extreme cold so, unlike me, Minnesota winters wouldn’t bother them.

Next was the cougar who totally ignored me. Well, except for when he did his business right in front of me. I wonder … maybe he did it on purpose so I’d get out of his area.  Hmmmm …  The cougar was also listless and lethargic. Not much room for him to run around in, in my humble opinion.

Lastly, and this really broke my heart ~ the bears.

This bear stayed next to the wall the whole time I watched him which was quite awhile.

I just couldn’t figure out why he stayed in this spot.

Then he did this …

Hmmm … I walked a little ways to the right to see what was on the other side.  And now it made sense.  He is a she and this must be her cub ~ by why are they separated?  This bear appeared to be suffering from separation anxiety. I’m not sure why they would be separated like this.

And look who came to console Mama Bear …

It was a touching scene that took awhile to transpire and to understand.

My heart goes out to these caged animals ~ one day the animals will be able to roam free …  in heaven.