Ozzie is Recovering Courageously!

Oz has been home now for three days. And. She has amazed us by her rapid adjustment to being a tri-pawed kitty. She has not had a super appetite, but we've tried to offer her faves; fresh shrimp, which she's munched on daintily and her Fancy Feast fave, which she's eating here. For the first time today, she tried to escape from our bedroom, where she's been held captive. We're stunned by her continued improvement.
After she ate a bite or two, she headed for Sam's giant bed to relax a bit. She hates her meds (of course), but they help her sleep and keep the infections away. We stopped by the Humane Society today to say thanks to those involved in finding her and to re-license the pups. There were at least five individuals who were interested in what happened to her. We learned little more about what happened to Ozzie, except that instead of that nutty woman keeping her for two days, Oz was apparently held hostage for four days. All the days she was missing. I guess we can thank Dog that she was inside on those cold nights. For those who are squeamish, you may not want to look at the next photo, which shows Ozzie's amputation and stitches. She is in great spirits! We are so encouraged by her courage and backbone! What a winner!

More Waterfalls and a Museum

Wednesday was a short drive from Ashland to Superior, Wisconsin. Two State Parks was on the agenda - Amnicon Falls and Pattison. Both are near Superior.
Amnicon Falls State Park is along Highway 2, about a mile from Highway 53. All of the falls can be viewed with a short hike (the same of about walking around a city block).
Being Spring, I was treated to water falling over "On and Off Falls". In dry seasons, the falls is dry. Viewing that falls is just to right from the restrooms.
From there, head over towards the covered bridge. Before you get to the bridge, the main falls is on your left. If you want, you can walk down to a viewing platform and even on down to the river side. I did not to climb down (and back up) with my cameras.
Took some good photos from the bridge (top photo). Then continued my hike around the island. On the back on the island is another falls. Finally, the lower falls. The best view of the lower falls is down from the covered bridge, back on the mainland side of the bridge.
It was a little after noon, and I was getting hungry. At the US 2 and County U (road to the park) is Rapid's Riverside Bar & Grill. Had a good bacon cheeseburger and kettle chip. The place even had free Wi-Hi and i was able to check mail and facebook.
From there, county roads to Pattison State Park. Pattison is located on Highway 35 South of Superior. When I was planning this trip, I almost bypassed this park. Glad I did not miss it.

Manitou Falls is a "don't miss" falls. At 165 feet, It is the highest falls in Wisconsin and the 4th highest East if the Rockies. I parked near the park office. Walked past the beach, under the highway tunnel, and on the trail to the falls.
Hicked down the side of the river to the two viewing points. Saw others viewing the falls from the other side of the river. So, crossed the little bridge and hiked the other side.
It left me with a longer hike but saw the falls from both sides of the river. While exploring the park, I saw that I could have parked at another parking lot (on county B). Guess the exercise was good for me.
The best view of the falls is from the second viewing point on the small parking lot. When I got back to the car, I drove the mile down Highway 35 to find the Little Manitou Falls. It was worth the time - a pretty falls with lots of water dropping over the falls.
Found my motel. When I checked in, the told me there is a special at the Veteran's Museum in town. after checking in the room, I headed to the museum. The museum is named after Richard I Bong (whom was from Poplar, Wisconsin). Lots of stuff in Superior (and the state recreation area in Kenosha County - other corner of the state) is named for Bong. Major Richard I Bong was a WWII ace fighter pilot.

My Gardens ~ My Environment

Carol of May Dreams Garden invites us to share buds and blossoms on the fifteenth of each month, calling it Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. October 15th of this year has been named Blog Action Day with bloggers invited to post on the environment. I thought about both of these concepts as I wandered around with the camera, then flipped through old photo albums.
Philo & I enjoyed our first vacation as a family in 1970, driving from our small apartment in a Chicago suburb to a cottage in Wisconsin. We liked the lake, the trees and the hikes through the hills, and our toddlers had fun with their Tonka trucks, making roads in the soil around the porch, studding the ground with rocks and sticks. We were saving money to buy a house, one with soil for tomatoes and flowers, with shrubs and trees around it. It would be our own chunk of the greater environment...what Webster defines as the "air, water, minerals, organisms, and all other external factors surrounding and affecting a given organism at any time".
1970 was a year filled with war, destruction, monsoons, Kent State, space exploration, strikes, explosions and the break-up of the Beatles, but in ecology and the environment there were signs of hope: Mother Earth News was first published in 1970, Earth Day was declared for Sunday, April 22, 1970 and in December the Environmental Protection Agency was founded. The focus on insecticides and weedkillers intensified and by the time we had the down payment for that house the weedkiller DDT had been banned. The US government stopped using Agent Orange in Vietnam, and the connection to lawn weedkillers like 2 4-D became public. Robert Rodale spread the word on organic gardening in press and on television.

By the time we moved into our first house in 1973, it seemed logical to avoid pesticides and weedkillers on the land where our children would play, to use compost, to grow vegetables and fruit and to plant lots of trees, shrubs and flowers. It still seems logical 35 years later. I like to read about everyone's gardens and it usually doesn't matter that we don't grow the same things, or live in the same zone or dig in similar soil. We can share a love of gardening without needing much in common.
But when it comes to advice about how to garden responsibly in a specific garden, something positive is needed - advice based in personal experience focusing on local information. Clipped and pasted pronouncements intended for general distribution may work in one place, and be useless somewhere else. Allen Lacy told us, "It is impossible to write a book on gardening that is universal. Everyone gardens in the highly particular, on one spot of home ground at the intersection of this degree of latitude and that degree of longitude."
I miss those highway signs in Texas that encouraged us to 'Drive Friendly'. They seemed positive rather than negative, implying that people knew what was right if they followed their best instincts and were flexible about who got to the stopsign first. So I won't give you orders on what you should do in your garden, but let's look at some flowers as I share my attempts to 'Plant Friendly' on my little spot of home ground here in the NW part of Austin, Texas.
To have beauty without spraying I can choose plants with some built-in disease resistence - like the 'Julia Child' rose, with a bloom or bud in evidence every day since April.
It's not in my power to remove and replace every plant on the City of Austin's invasive list, but I can cut the flowers off nandina to prevent seed development and clip any berries I can reach from the ligustrum where it hangs over the fence from my neighbors' yard. I do this so the birds won't eat them and spread seeds in natural areas. I think a certain amount of flat green grass is necessary for comfort, as a design element, and for my sanity, so I won't dig up all of my casual, seldom watered, but acceptable-to-me lawn. [And like Carol of May Dreams, I actually like to mow.]
But I can and will shrink the lawn - we've already replaced some of it with plants for people, birds, bees and butterflies. Here's a garden for birds and butterflies, planted in the footprint where the Arizona Ash used to grow. Another thing I can do is to try out environmental ideas that take effort rather than money - like my in-progress seep garden to slow down storm runoff. Native plants Rivina humilis/pigeon-berry and White mistflower/Ageratina havanensis are young and still getting established.
I can learn to be flexible and take advantage of the unexpected in the garden - when a huge limb fell off the pecan last month all the shade plants were suddenly in sunlight.
The impatiens found space in shade near the Cast Iron plants and now the native Barbados Cherry/Malpighia glabra has enough sun to make buds.

I can try to water with care and attention and respect, appreciating the labor of those who came before us to this land of violent floods and killing drought to build the dams and reservoirs which make it possible for our city to thrive.
I'm willing to handwater my tropicals and other beautiful plants - like the clematis - this is a small garden and I think beauty is worth the trouble. But when choosing permanent landscape plants for the harsher western exposures, I'll look for tougher plants - native and adapted ones that need less supplemental water. That's what we did in a triangular area where the lawn turned brown too easily - the flowers in the pink entrance garden are doing well and are more fun. When I talk to my neighbors I can tell them the reasons we won't use things like weed and feed while sharing divisions of plants from my borders. My neighbors may never be reconciled to the way I keep the lawn, but they may not be able to resist flowers, butterflies and hummingbirds.
Blooming off camera:
Lantanas
Pentas
Moon Vine
Buddlejas
Angel's Trumpet
Plumbago
Salvias greggii, leucantha and 'Nuevo Leon',
Cupheas
White ginger
Oxalis
Evolvolus
Rock rose/ Pavonia
Portulaca
Dianthus
Plumerias

Edited October 23 - Mr Brown Thumb has gathered links to other garden blogs with posts for Blog Action Day.

New Tires

Yesterday I stopped by the bike shop. Several things on my mind. The Fuel EX7 needs new tires, the hardtail is soon needing tires, looking way to ride faster on one bike, and considering a road bike.
I was armed with information and questions from my cycling books and bicycling.com.
Should I look at purchasing a cross bike, a road bike, or modify an existing bike? Which bike and what components? What is a "plush" road bike? That and look a new tires.
Regarding a "plush" road bike - that is a less aggressive, more upright bike, like the TREK Pilot (see photo).
To get some more speed on my pavement rides, the hybrid is getting 28c road tires. Thought about 25c tires, but I want to be able to ride on the Trace once in awhile with that bike. Zack and Blaine agree the 28c tires is the ticket.
Zack has a pair of tires that will fit my Fuel. They came off from a customer's new bike. Getting them at a friendly price.
When counting teeth on chainrings and cassettes, I noticed that the tires on the 4300 are really getting in bad shape. Very concerned about riding it until it gets new tires. Was hoping to stall that purchase until next year (as it will get the studded tires this winter).
So, today starts testing for modifications and perhaps a new bike. And for my dirt riding friends, I am not turning to a "roadie", just looking for more variety.

A Busy Week

I got a little behind in my blog this week, and it has been a busy week.
Sunday Morning Ride was back. Made our Tour de Bluffs. The first problem we encountered was mud under the railroad bridge on the Manawa Trail. A reroute was well used. Stopped at the Lake Manawa mountain bike trails - areas are still underwater. Nice morning, threatening to get hot. Rest stops at Indain Creek bridge, Riverside Grill, and Hy-Vee. Rode a different course from Hy-Vee to S 16th - I did not like it. Taking down N 8th, Dennis would ride sometimes on the street, sometimes sidewalks and ride the crosswalk, other times riding the wrong side of the street.

Monday I headed out to check the readjustments made to the rear shifter on my trail bike. While riding, I logged my 1000 miles so far for the year. That's over 200 miles over last year at this time. That's great, considering the lousy weather this Winder and Spring. Now if the trails will only dry out so i can ride some dirt...
Tuesday was a recovery day - and more rain. URGH
Wednesday Morning Ride - it was Wabash Trace or Pavement. Suggested to Blaine (no one else riding) the do the Tour de Bluffs, showing him the route downtown. Bike shifted great. Pretty good pace, good ride.
Over Thursday, I read about burning fat - sprints with a higher gear. Friday, I thought I would ride the FX and put the hammer down. URGH, there was a problem with my heart monitor - so could not push it riding. After getting back at the shop, I rode over to the mall, to buy replacement battery, still the same problem - receiver no getting the signal. For some reason, the Nike receiver is now was only working with the Nike chest strap. Previously, I could use interchangeably between the Nike and Sigma monitors.
Saturday was trail work at Wilderness Park in Lincoln. I grabbed the directions from the THOR web site, and could not find the trail crew. Checking at the various trailheads that I knew, I gave up and decided to ride at the Pioneer Blvd end. Quickly blocked by a big dead fall. One final attempt and I heard a weed wacker along Old Cheney Rd. Changed back to my jeans, grabbed my bike, and headed to the trail. Did a little work, a lot of visiting with the folks from Lincoln

Ended the week with another Sunday Morning Ride. No one else was riding, so I headed over to Rich (ZQG) QTH to check out SWIARC Field Day. The ride means about 3 miles on the Wabash Trace. LOTS of clean-up needed there. Greg has work time planned for Tuesday, about 4:30pm from the CB trailhead. Thanks to those whom have made the trail "passable" in the mean time.

Felder Rushing

Yesterday some friends and I traveled to Tuscaloosa for a seminar called, "Gardening in Dry Times".

But really, we went to see Felder Rushing. That's him posing with his hanging salad garden ("I don't even have to bend over to eat it!").
He's one of the more entertaining people you'll ever hear speak. Whenever his name is mentioned, you'll notice that four or five folks will automatically chime in, "Oh he's such a hoot." And he is, but you learn a lot too.

His traveling truck garden. Seventy miles an hour, and everything is fine.

Not your grandfather's notion of truck farming.

Flamingo #1.

Flamingo #2.

The whole of it. Note the wind chimes on the right. "If you see whiteflies, just drive faster."

My favorite bumper sticker.
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Check out his website for more great unusual gardening ideas, photos of previous incarnations of the truck crop, articles, and more.

29 Day Giveaway Challenge

Yeah, puppies, I'm wondering too what I can give away next.  I'm not even half way through the 29 days and I've run out of things to easily give away.  I guess I'll have to go through the closets AGAIN!   Maybe this is when it starts getting fun?  Giving away stuff that isn't so easy?  Coming up with things that I may not want to let go of?  I'm going to have to give this some more thought......hm.m.m.m?  

My Summer Schedule

I've been reading Godliness through Discipline by Jay Adams during my morning worship time. I'd highly recommend it.  It's a short read at only 25 pages.  Here are some gleanings from it.
1. Discipline is the secret of godliness-I Timothy 4:7.
2. Godliness is the goal of the Christian life; we must please God      by being, thinking, doing, saying and feeling in the ways that        He wants us to.
3.  If you are going to learn discipline, you must first learn                  patience.
4.  Discipline means work; it means sustained daily effort.
5.  Continued daily effort is an essential element of Christian              discipline; just like an athlete.
6.  Jesus insisted that Christians must deny the self within them.  By the self, He meant the old       desires, the old ways, the old practices, the old habit patterns.
7.  Taking up the cross means going to the place of death.  It means putting to death the old life      patterns of the old man.
8.  God gave man a marvelous capacity that we call habit.  We can't avoid habitual living.
9.   You must become aware of your life patterns and evaluate them by the Word of God.  The           Christian life is a life of continual change.
10.  Discipline first requires self-examination, then it means crucifixion of the old sinful ways            (saying "no" daily), and lastly, practice in following Jesus Christ in new ways by the                      guidance and strength that the Holy Spirit provides through His Word.
11.  Living according to feeling is the greatest hindrance to godliness that we face.  Godly,                    commandment-oriented living comes only from biblical structure and discipline.
12.  All of the stress that the Bible puts upon human effort must not be  misunderstood; we are          talking about grace-motivated effort, not the work of the flesh.
13. If we want to discipline ourselves toward godliness, a most essential factor is the regular            study of God's Word in order to make application of its principles to our problems.
14. It is by willing, prayerful and persistent obedience to the requirements of the Scriptures             that godly patterns are developed and come to be a part of us.
15.  Structure alone brings freedom.  Discipline brings liberty.  Liberty  comes through law, not        apart from it. 
I am a great one for making lists and schedules.  For the most part I stick to them and am productive.  But there usually comes a time when I rebel and do what I want.  I am very feeling driven which I'm learning more and more is just plan selfishness. 
I have also learned that when I get this attitude that the only thing I get done is reading.  I know there's a time and place for relaxation.  I'm not saying that.  I'm the Queen of relaxation!  But when I need and want to get things done, I need to stick to a schedule.                                       So this summer my schedule looks like this:
6:00 Worship7:00 Exercise8:00 Breakfast, cleanup, and get dressed9:00 Housework10:00 Writing11:00 Photography12:00 Lunch and cleanup1:00 Housework-Clothes Repair-Ironing2:00 Rest and Reading3:00 Project-House, Art, Sewing, or misc.4:00 "                                           "5:00 "                               "6:00 Cook supper7:00 Supper and cleanup8:00 Gardening and puttering outside9:00 Family worship and reading to Darcie10:00 Bath and reading11:00 Bed        

Frustration

Tomorrow it will be two weeks since I was able to get out in the dirt. Last week, it was rainy most of the week. Trails were just about drying out when I headed to Wisconsin.
Here, it was been raining every day. Thursday I was able to get on the County North Shore Trail - Kenosha & Racine. Rode from my Mom's apartment to Racine (about 7 miles). The trail is crushed limestone. Trail surface was soft and standing water in spots. It is still a pretty good trail - once you get out of the cities.
Wanted to ride some singletrack - Petrifying Springs Park was closed for flooding, and threatening weather before I could drive to Bong State Park.
So, I headed on to Belgium Wisc. This morning I made a short rode ride with my hosts - 5.3 miles. That ride just made me want some DIRT!
Planned to ride in the Kettle Moriane State Park - about 30 miles away. Checked the web site. That said the trails are open - but the last update of trail conditions was on May 13th - 3 weeks old! The web site DID say trails in the area should dry out in 4-6 hours after rain.
Called the state park inquiring as to trail conditions at the Greenbush Trail area. When I called at 8:55, they had no idea, nor could they tell me when they could report on the conditions. They said they should be ridable, but was not sure.
When I got to the Long Lake entrance, they had no idea if the trails are open. She did call, and advised me that the trails were not ridable from the rains. Back 30 miles.
What was the problem with the Office at Mauthe Lake (which I had called). They should have been able to call the Ranger (or tell me to wait until after 9am when the Ranger comes on duty), saving the the gas and time to driver over, just to find the trails are closed. I will be sending in a Guest Comment Card to Wisconsin DNR.

Will We Stick to the Plan?

Friday, June 18

A couple of weeks ago, we requested a route plan (what AAA would call a “TripTik”) from Coach-Net for our upcoming trip to bring the Phaeton home.  We received the plan (and much, much more) today.  We already had an idea of what we thought would be a good route.  Coach-Net seems to agree with us.

2,811.5 miles … 5 days and 21 minutes … 12 States
that’s the plan.  What will be the actual?

Is it an ideal plan?  No, it calls for long days of driving with little time to do anything else.  With a limited number of days to dedicate to this trip, we have no choice but to take the most direct route to cover 2,800+ miles [4,480+ km] in less than a week.

Phaeton Journeys that follow interesting side roads with plenty of sightseeing opportunities will just have to wait until another time.  In the meantime, we’ll have to wait and see how well we follow this plan!

I'm A Violet

THIS IS WHAT KIND OF FLOWER YOU ARE

You Are a Violet

"You have a shy personality. You tend to hesitate before trying new things or meeting new people. But once people get to know you, you open up and show the world what you are really all about." Look in the side bar to take the quiz and find out what kind of flower you are. I know you've always wondered!

Amistad National Recreation Area

We hobble into theWalmart in Del Rio. We park it and Garyuses some windshield repair. We drive over to nearbyAmistad National Recreation AreaWe are trying to find the Dam but the Dam road ends!We turn around but a truck pulling a boat passes us and Gary watches him continue on thru the water, so we turn around and follow.I hope we're high enough!The view is nice!We finally find the Dam.We drive half way across stopping before the Mexican Border.The Eagles at the Border - Amistad means friendship. It was constructed by the US and Mexico in response to frequent droughts and a number of floods, the worst in 1954 killing 300 people in Del RioView of the Rio Grande.Don't look down!View of the Resevoir and recreation area - wish we had a boat!According to Pam - If you stick your head in a Bear's mouth you will be ate!

Walmar has parking spots for RV's only. We were between 2 RV's from Illinois.They came in separately but turns out they are from the same town. The world just keeps getting smaller!

The next morning Gary puts in another can of Dry Gas and we fill up with fresh Gas, and depart with our fingers crossed!

Next Stop Seminole Canyon State Park and the Pictographs

Meanwhile, we keep on Trek'n

More Later,

Melissa and Gary