One for the Books Winter 2019

Sweating, and fondly remembering cooler, okay, colder, days.

Winter 2019 was incredible. 

And more incredible. 

And before it was all over it became unbelievable. 

Just wanted to get it on the record. 

NDL's LFL (Little Free Library)

We have thought for a long time that it would be great to host a Little Free Library. Fittingly, as the first LFL was built by a son for his mother, this one was too. We asked the middle son to "help build a LFL for us" and it seems that what we really meant by "help", was "will you build a LFL for us", because that is what happened. Perhaps we held a board in place, and we certainly loosely supervised from a lawn chair, but all the real work was done by a more capable, and very patient carpenter. 

When it got down to the fine details we turned the foreman job over to the shop bunny aka Mr. Bunny who saw the project to completion.

LFL #103,686 was installed in July 2020 and ready for patrons. And yes, our number reflects that we were the 103,686th library to be registered since the first one installed in Hudson, Wisconsin in 2009.

You can check the map for LFLs in your neighborhood.

In the last year we have had so many people tell us that they really appreciated being able to get books at little libraries during the pandemic while public libraries were closed, or they didn't feel comfortable going in to them, or they wanted to browse books rather than order online for pickup. That made us feel very good. 

Stop by anytime to Take a Book and Leave a Book. And if you see us out please say "hi". We love talking to strangers. 

And if you want to create your own Little Free Library all you need to know can be found at littlefreelibrary.org.

Merry Making with Faux Suede

Getting in the holiday spirit we got back to the sewing machine for a seasonal home accessory update. A very generous friend shared some painterly deer print faux suede from Spoonflower with us. Wish you could feel it. Isn't the design great?

And so fitting as on Christmas Eve eve morning we saw three deer walking right down the middle of Columbia Street. Speculation was that they were doing advance intel for Santa to make the Chippewa Falls run go more smoothly. Probably they were noting details such as the loss of one of our two chimneys when we got new shingles and that our Norway maple has grown another 10 feet up into sleigh airspace. Important time saving tips like that make Santa's job easier for sure.

It must have helped. Santa was very, very good to us.

Eclipse Underfoot

We sat on the porch under the big overhanging roof so we wouldn't be tempted to stare at the sun.

We could still see the partial eclipse.

And then many mini eclipses. 

 

And some teeny tiny eclipses.  

 

And even more on the sidewalk under our big shade trees on Columbia Street. 

In the end we think we had more fun seeing hundreds of eclipses than if we had seen only one  

big, full, real one. 

And our retinas are completely unscathed. 

 

Wash Day

Here's the thing.

Our modern lifestyle used to be more modern. When NDL started on Groundhog's Day in 2010, few in our acquaintance were on Facebook, and Pinterest was an infant enterprise. When we surfed the web and shared a find it typically hadn't already been seen by millions. Now we feel that NDL, for the purpose of spreading the wonders of the internet has has become redundant. Obsolete. Peripheral. Irrelevant. 

Phrases such as 'fold the tent", "turn the page", "end of an era", "move on", "reinvent" - all whirl around as we think, "what are we doing here?". 

We don't usually indulge in naval gazing in this forum, but feel like the evolution of daily posts in 2010 to weekly in 2015, and now only the rare post as 2016 approaches deserves a word for those faithful few who still look at this space.

Many of the blogs we used to enjoy and repost from have completely gone away. Some slowly. Some abruptly. 

Times change. Lives change. Facebook pages are easier.

We have never cared greatly how many views the posts at NDL receive. Although there were times when we were glad for a comment or two just to know that we weren't talking to ourselves. This week the views from Russia are twice that from the U.S.. Interesting don't you think, comrade robot?

In searching for something to share with you today we found this image at the Graphics Fairy. It shows one of our favorite activities. 

Check out those bluebirds of happiness. We see them all the time when hanging wash. 

Well, not really. But we do see robins, orioles, and bald eagles, and they make us just as happy.

Hanging out the wash gives us a sense of peace.  It allows us to enjoy the beauty of the day, observe nature, and listen to the sounds of the neighborhood. We have time to think of the people who wear the clothes and use the linens we are rhythmically pinning to the line. It connects us to traditions of the past and makes us feel like we are more gently using our natural resources. 

And there is nothing better than the smell of line-dried laundry.You get it when you hug your husband and press your nose into his shoulder, or when you climb into the sheets at night, or dry yourself off with a rough, wind-dried towel. 

So, if it's just the same to you, rather than disappearing completely from the blogisphere we're reverting to the pace and rhythm that feels right for us. Until we are ready, if ever, to pin our tastes and show our face online we will keep a presence here for musings, finds, and projects to be hung on our NDL line as they occasionally, naturally occur.

Hope you will still peek over the real or virtual back fence from time to time and say "hi".

We Heart Butterflies

We found this little guy having a siesta after a heart-healthy, milkweed munch.

Good call little larva. There is still plenty of exhausting eating and metamorphosing ahead.

Our alley monarch watch gives us reason for optimism. Many more were spotted this year than last.

Overall forecasts for the monarch population are not so rosy, but maybe, with a little help from their friends, they will get by.

Let's do it!

Froggy Kong Jr.

Sometimes heard, but seldom seen around here this very serious looking little gray tree frog 

was recently spotted hanging out on our newly acquired Kong Jr. Green Halo coleus.

Perhaps he/she has been waiting for us to provide a suitably camouflaging and photogenic plant for his lounging pleasure.

What a nice addition to the alley wildlife. 

It is possible he/she may be the little guy who hitched a ride in the next door neighbors' car trunk from a nearby lake to the West Hill a few weeks ago? 

Perhaps she/he has now had enough of city life and is patiently watching from this perfect vantage point for an opportunity to hop into another open trunk and be homeward bound.

Fun Frog Fact: 

The gray tree frog freezes in the winter! It produces large amounts of glycerol. The glycerol is changed to glucose, and then it is circulated through the frog's cells. The glucose acts like a kind of antifreeze and prevents ice crystals from forming in the frog's cells. If ice crystals formed in the cells, they would rip the cells apart and kill the frog. The rest of the water and blood in the frog's body then freezes, and its heartbeat and breathing stop! When the temperature warms up, the tree frog "thaws out" and returns to the trees! - nhptv

Grandma, What Nice Mittens You Have On

This scene seen at Rotary Botanical Gardens in Janesville, Wisconsin 

reminded us of the one who freezes snowballs in January to throw with her Southern grandsons in July.

"The aging process has you firmly in its grasp if you never get the urge to throw a snowball." 

- Doug Larson

Once she helped us collect Zamboni shavings from behind the hockey arena for a fellow summer birthday child who didn't understand why he couldn't have a snowball fight as an activity for his June party. 

Yup, she's been in the business of making kids' dreams come true for four decades, and counting.

Here's hoping she has a chance to relax and enjoy her special day, which promises to be a beautiful Wisconsin one,

 but with the grand energy level currently at an all-time high she may just have to hold on for the ride for now and collapse later.

Ready. Aim. Enjoy!

Don't Forget to Write

 Thought you would want to know that the West Hill Bear was finally suckered into a trap and given an all expense paid trip to a location at least 70 miles away.

We hear that he was finally lured in with some big juicy strawberries that he probably didn't enjoy much once he found himself in the very unhappy situation of being enclosed in a giant tin can. 

The bad news: no more trash can bedtime snacks for you little bear.

The good news: soon it will be wild strawberry season.

Go. Be wild and free with a clean slate, but don't screw up by forgetting the conditions of your probation. Lay off the trashcans, beehives, bird feeders, and hen houses if you want to remain on the outside. 

You can do it. 

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner...

At a garbage can near you?

Apparently we have not one, but two ursine visitors.

This is the youngster setting out for his nightly alley buffet dinner.

Why mess around with old dry cookies in a suspicious looking metal tin when you can have your pick of giant Tupperware containers full of nice kitchen waste? 

As another famously brilliant member of his family used to say....

"I'm smarter than the average bear!"

It's About Time

For some excitement on the West Hill. (It has been a painfully long dry spell for neighborhood intrigue and looky-loo opportunities.)

What could possibly be more exciting than a bear hanging around knocking over bird feeders, looking in patio doors, and upsetting bee hives? 

Absolutely nothing. Except the attempt to trap and relocate that bear.

In addition to living up to their reputation for jonesing for honey,  

bears are huge suckers for cookies. Trite for sure, but according to succesful USDA wildlife trappers, apparently true.

We are eager to see if this works and if it does we will report back.

Come out, come out wherever you are!

Update 4/12/15: No bear this a.m. we checked. Even thought it was still darkish out we got dressed first in case there was one. Otherwise every time we would tell the story we might have to say that we shot a photo of a bear in our pajamas and then someone would have to ask every time, 

"What was the bear doing in your pajamas?".

Unity Quilt

This quilt from a pattern appropriately called "Band Together" by Bill Kerr and Weeks Ringle 

was finished just in time to give as a gift to acknowledge a milestone event.

.

The event was the college graduation of another young person who had the many people of our amazing village 

banded together to guide him up the many steps that led to the podium. 

Members of the village carried and rocked, collected rocks, employed a pint-size yard boy, taught welding, kept a sense of humor, counseled his mother, and displayed in countless other ways that they loved and supported him as he strove for the independence of adulthood.

Thank you to the village (again). 

Congratulations to the graduate!

Carol's Garden Grad Party

Here's what we saw on a recent stalk, er walk, down one of our favorite blocks.

It was  planted in the landscape along with the farm part garden art as if it had always been there.

That Carol! She's been up to being clever again.

This temporary installation of a  party and personal history signpost with arrows pointing to attractions of the day as a well as the grad's elementary and high school Alma Maters had to be her handiwork. So fun. Just like her!

Looks like a new frosh is headed to the U of W this fall. 190 miles! So far from Mom's cookie jar!

As his parents well know... You can't keep 'em down on the farm.

But you can send them off in grand style and welcome them and their dirty laundry home at Thanksgiving.

Good luck to all!

My Little Paeonia

Back to our own backyard for a quick peek at the ever flamboyant Scarlet O'Hara peony ensconced in, not draperies, but a mantle of Blue Muffin Viburnum foliage.

Could you tell we were just dying to use that title?

Today's the Day!

"No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn."  

Predicted temp of 54F. Partly sunny. 0% chance of snow.

We hereby proclaim this the first spring day.

We will get out in it and look for signs of the season while we try to build stamina for upcoming long walks on the Cornish Coast. 

It has been a long, weird, winter. Many distractions resulted in lack of focus.  

There was alot of almost literal naval gazing. 

But really, absolutely nothing to complain about. Our pipes didn't freeze, the slippery sidewalks didn't take us down, our cars faithfully served us with a minimum of deserved crankiness, cabin fever did not reach levels that led to calling the cops, an attorney, or even Dr. Phil.

We came out of the deep freeze with a new roof, a rehabbed kitchen and bath, and tuned up innards. 

Trips are planned. Kids are doing well. Elders are hanging in there. 

And around the neighborhood....houses are selling, which means old neighbors can move on to the next exciting thing and new neighbors are arriving to start the adventure that is home-ownership.

Soon,  we expect to see new babies who have been quickly shuffled through the frigid temps from house to car finally available for some leisurely goo-gooing in the great out of doors. The neighborhood toddlers have surely been learning some new words and tricks since we saw them last fall. We hope to see some of them out splashing in the big puddles in the alley today. One of the truest signs of spring!

So, today is the day! The birds are announcing it loudly enough to hear through closed, 

and still storm-windowed windows.

Here we go!

Carol's Garden Revisited

Since we last toured Carol's Garden some new things have been popping up.

Large, cheerful mushrooms.

More welded flowers.

And some very inviting, throw-back seating.

We wonder if we will ever actually catch Carol sitting down? 

It is our observation that people with amazing gardens seldom do. The weeds won't let them.

We've Got it Goin' On

It is time to get everybody else on the bandwagon.

Good proposes April 27 as Neighborday.

They have resources to get the neighboring ball rolling and some great stories of neighborhood life.

So, if you don't know your backdoor or frontdoor neighbors now is the time to reach out and meet them.

Channel Fred Rogers and greet and meet the people on your street today.

The Buzz Around Town

...is that neighborhood bees from The West Hill Honey Company need a kick start. 

Typically we wouldn't recommend that you disturb a hive, 

but after you read  The Story of a Blossoming Honey Business and learn how you can help a young entrepreneur succeed at growing her business through Kickstarter 

you will want to give those bees one swift figurative kick to help get things going.

Of course all of us West Hill gardeners feel invested in this venture just by virtue of the nectar our flowering plants produce and share with Natalie's bees, but how can we pass up the opportunity to be part of enabling  this industrious young beekeeper to get the equipment she needs for her pretty darn sweet 

and very local business to expand? 

Check out the fun appreciation gifts for each level of pledge. 

Tell all your friends about it too.

Act soon. The pledge period ends on September 20.

Smokey Sez

The wonderful rain we have just received in most of our region should help keep the fire danger levels low for our holiday weekend campfires, but the beginning of summer is always a good time to remind ourselves of the kind behavior Smokey expects of us when dealing with fires of any kind.

Seems we aren't calling them forest fires any more.

Only you can prevent wildfires. Get your Smokey on.

Have a great and safe weekend and summer!

Twofer

The invitation said, "come to meet the candidate". It did not say, "you will also be meeting and standing in the same room with the one, the only, Bowzer from Grease and Sha Na Na".

Yes, folks, if you got the invitation and for some reason did not show, you missed not only hearing about Kristen Dexter's plans  to help out as a state senator,  you also missed a chance to hear the election-themed vocal stylings and thoughtful comments of Jon Bauman, aka Bowzer.

And to think that it happened on West Central Street.

 What an interesting and pleasant evening it was.