It's a Miracle

The life cycle of the Monarch butterfly. Amazing. This well done Nova program tells in six short chapters about that metamorphosis, the Monarchs' winter hibernation, and their annual migration from Mexico to Canada and back.

Here's our backyard butterfly story.

Elsa Has Left the Building

The 2010 NDL mascot went away for a month and came back with a new talent.




Now she has left us again. Who knows what clever things she will have learned by the time she returns. Can't wait to see.

Glass and Glue

That's all it takes to create a glitzy garden totem.




A garden club conversation followed by the kismet of discovering a 5 cent glassware bin at the Salvation Army thrift store and a $2 boxful of chipped and cracked dishes at an estate sale led to a little craft session.

The official go-to glue of NDL, E6000, is essential for any need-to-hold craft project. An upside down bud vase as base allows the structure to be set on a rod in the ground.

The garden's feng shui just took a huge shift toward glam.

Feeling Sluggish?

Make that a double scoop please.

To Serve and Protect

Many versions of the housewife's uniform practically and attractively displayed at a recent estate sale.




Useful, pretty, and creatively sewn, in former times these certainly never would have been seen, in or out of the house, in such a rumpled state.




The Champion Stay Open Clothespin Bag, a pre-infomercial as-seen-on-TVesque invention. Another charming attempt to make housework look fun and easy and perhaps even glamorous?


Local author Judy Florence's book - Aprons of the Mid-20th Century: To Serve and Protect is a fascinating read for serious or casual apron collectors. The cover art and subtitle are inspired.

Beer Bear

Last year a bear wandered into an Up North grocery store and created quite a stir in the liquor department. Now the legend lives on with a replica of the intruder perched on a store endcap, holding a Hamm's.





Here is an entertaining report of the biggest event to take place in the last year in this small town.

Jovibarbas and Sempervivums

There is another intriguing business Up North that seems like it would be more at home in the Southwest than the Northwoods. Big Brook Greenhouse, home of Simply Succulents, is a little oasis of xeriscaping right in the heart of the Chequamegon forest. Very interesting.


















If turtles and wreaths are not quite what you're looking for, check out these NDL-style succulent creations.

Pizza Party

Up North there is a great stone oven pizza place we like to frequent whenever we can. The Rivers Eatery has an interesting and innovative menu of pizzas - many of them named after Wisconsin waterways. Missing from their selection however, is the "Chippewa". A campaign to change that has been launched.

The "Chippewa" concept - a bratwurst pizza.

Campaign Strategy #1 - Delivery of a starter kit of key ingredients -Frank's sauerkraut, Silver Springs honey mustard, and Gordy's own Oktoberfest bratwurst to owners Beth and Mick to encourage them to experiment with the "Chippewa".

Campaign strategy #2 - Test the recipe with an experienced pizza chef, friend, and NDL reader who has tried several of The Rivers Eatery creations.


First she made a beautiful dough.




We rinsed and drained the kraut and squeezed it dry. The Sweet Bavarian contains caraway seeds and has a sweeter, less vinegary taste so needs draining and squeezing, but no rinsing. (I found the sweet kraut preferable. If the traditional is your choice, you might consider a light sprinkle of caraway seeds or use caraway cheese instead of jack if you can find any.)




Fresh garden onions were caramelized.




The brats were steamed, then browned and sliced.




The dough was made with the best ingredients,




and divided into six ounce balls.




The balls were shaped into 9" crusts and brushed with olive oil.




The crust was then spread with a generous teaspoon of honey mustard thinned with a small amount of Leinenkugel's Honey Weiss beer.

Next, 1/2 cup loosely packed sauerkraut was spread over the mustard sauce and topped with a delicate distribution of caramelized onions.

Brat slices next. We tried versions with anywhere from 9 to 17 (an entire brat with ends) slices and determined it is all good, but about 12 is probably ideal.

1/4 cup of shredded Monterey Jack cheese topped it all off.

Now for the baking!

Uh oh. Someone forgot to build a stone oven.

The only oven we did have was heated to 475F. The pizza baked for 5 minutes and was then transferred to a pizza stone on the lower rack for an additional 2 minutes. Perfect.



We did quite alot of tasting believe you me. So much so in fact that we couldn't taste another bite so some of the prototypes had to go home for dinner where they were sampled by several other palates with varied levels of sophistication. All declared the "Chippewa" a winner.




Cross your fingers that the 2011 Rivers Eatery menu includes the "Chippewa". If you're Up North stop by, have a pizza and a beverage, and check out the pay it forward board where you might see that someone has bought the next beer for Sandra Day O'Connor, a frequent visitor to the Northwoods. Don't forget to mention how much you have been hankerin' for a bratwurst pizza. A little friendly lobbying never hurts.

Time to Plan the Deed Burning Party

Why bother to refinance when you can grow tomatoes instead?

Pretty pink Mortgage Lifter certainly could live up to its name, but rather than set up a roadside produce stand to pay off the bank, we'll just enjoy a smaller grocery bill this month and some superior BLTs too.




The rest of the tomato harvest - Jaune Flamme, Eva Purple Ball, Wisconsin 55 Gold, Juliet, and German Johnson.

Gadzukes!

Every year I forget (until it is too late) that August 8th is Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Day (night). So, yet again, no motion lights were installed, the guard dogs were not unleashed to patrol the grounds, and we were all sound asleep when this was left on our doorstep.




Just to give you an idea of the magnitude of this anonymous gesture, it is bigger than a bread box...




taller than a garden gnome...




able to feed several large families for a week all by itself... gadzukes it's Super Squash.


No news yet as to whether any other neighbors received similar middle-of-the-night deliveries.

Try to contain your disappointment when I inform you that the powdery mildew that has arrived with the hot humid weather will likely mean the end of bountiful summer squash production. Oh yes, go ahead and pump your fists in jubilation now, but come January, when you are all sadly cucurbitless, you may rue the stifling, damp, August day you composted the last giant zucchini gift of the summer.

'Cherry Brandy' Rudbeckia

Gardeners seem to think the red color of Cherry Brandy may be overrated, and apparently it is an annual that doesn't reseed rather than the perennial it was thought to be when not one, but three of them, recently found their way into my shopping cart.

Sure is pretty. Guess we'll enjoy it while it lasts.

Stats and reviews here at Dave's Garden.

This is a novel idea, but worth a try...research plants before buying them. What? Impulse shopper? Me?

'Prairie Sun'

A late season impulse purchase at the grocery store. Who could resist a face like that?




The well named rudbeckia hirta 'Prairie Sun' is shown here accessorized with matching yellow inch worm. The black specks are probably frass provided courtesy of the same little visitor. (Did you know frass is the official name for caterpillar poop?)

See stats about 'Prairie Sun' at Dave's Garden. Frass! Looks like it is not really hardy here in zone 3. Let's hope it reseeds its pretty self. Cross your fingers!

The Mixed-up Words of NDL

Have you tried Wordle?




It's kind of fun.

"Lucy! Now Look What You've Gotten Us Into!"

Last year, on a trip to the Schaumburg, Illinois Ikea an innocent mistake led to an unfortunate incident with an escalator. Just to show that NDL and companions learn from their experiences, and to help others learn from them too, we returned to the scene (got back on the dala horse, so to speak) to create a tutorial on:

"How Not to Cause the Ikea Cart Escalator to Come to a Stop, Draw a Crowd, Inconvenience Fellow Customers, and Give Ikea Staff Another Dumb Customer Anecdote for the Annual Meeting."

1. Before sliding cart into the escalator feed, make sure all items are actually in the cart and not perched precariously on top of a bulky box of Ektorp, Malm, or Poang components.




2. Trust that the cart escalator really works and your cart full of Swedish glassware will not plummet down the incline. Go on. Let it go.




3. At this point, should an item, such as a package of Kram paper napkins slip off the top of your merchandise pile - DO NOT REACH FOR IT! The laser eye across the top will think your hand is a small child trying to use the cart escalator as a slide and will SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY.

It is also a good idea to act nonchalant and not look at your cart. Then, if the escalator does SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY you have the option of walking away, finding another cart, reselecting the cart contents, and giving it another try after the problem with the unclaimed mystery cart is cleared up.




4. Wait patiently for the cart to descend. Keep thinking - "MUST NOT REACH INTO THE EMBARRASSMENT ZONE."


5. Retrieve your cart.




6. Walk away.




7. A victory dance is allowed once you have reached the back corner of the floor covering department where your fist pumping and singing of the Rocky Theme will be hidden, and muffled, by large Turkish area rugs.

This has been a Public Service Announcement from NDL.

Many thanks to my lovely assistant.

Remember: If we can do it, you certainly can too.

Sure I Need All These. I'm Painting a 200 Room Hotel. Really.

It has come to our attention that crafters are raiding paint chip displays for all types of projects that don't really involve painting their walls.




In a clever instance of if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, Sherwin Williams has created a beautiful and inspiring ad campaign of print and televison ads that feature paint chip sculpture and animation.




Check it out more great ads from Sherwin Williams here.

Pleasant Dreams

The mascot's mom alerted NDL to this fanciful naptime project of Finnish mother, Adele Enerson at her blog Mila's Daydreams .





How foolish I feel thinking of all those naptimes wasted doing unimaginative tasks like laundry and dishes.

Hmm...would the mascot like to come over for a visit? Are her little eyes getting droopy? Oh look, she's rubbing them. I have a nice soft rug she can lay down on for a quick cat nap. Just let me get my camera...

Mission Accomplished

Nothing happened in a hurry.
No multitasking was going on.
Sat on the dock.
Sat on the deck.
Met new neighbors.
Talked with old friends.
Helped the local economy.
Enjoyed smalltown events.
Ate.
Drank.
Slept.
Walked in the woods.
Read a book.
Paged through frivolous magazines.
Heard thunder.
Saw lightening.
Listened to loons.
Shooed crows.
Stalked caterpillars.

Did not stray from the agenda.