ah,summer

Some images of our short trip north.

Iron Mountain Iron Mine
This interesting and dramatic mine tour of the former East Vulcan Mine goes through 2,600 feet of underground drifts and tunnels to give an idea of what iron mining was really like. Visitors don raincoats and hard hats and ride the same railway system that took miners to their jobs, until the mine closed down in 1945. They experience the gloomy, drippy setting of a typical iron mine and also see some pretty things along the way, like a fault of rose quartz. .

Turtle

I post about turtles a lot! See, here , here and here..
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This time, a beer drinking turtle. This is my son Clay. And a turtle. Sharing a cold one..:)

Nice day, bad photos

My daughter, Megan has earned a MBA (Masters of Business Administration) from the University of Phoenix. The commencement ceremonies were held yesterday. The word proud does not even begin to reflect how I feel about her accomplishment.

I intended to capture some wonderful photos and share our day with you readers.......... Best intentions, poor picturesThe stage, a very dark photo.

We were entertained by The Shamrock Club , both during and after the commencement ceremony. Click on the link, they are very good. The music is powerful and moving.

They also entertained at the Audubon Days parade in Mayville last year, where I took this photo.I thought I had a nice shot of both my daughters with me, but alas, two of us had our eyes closed!Yes, Megan is a little taller than me, but she was wearing incredible high heels!Here is the graduate, eyes closed, along with her special aunt, eyes open!
More eyes closed, at the restaurant.

Emili with a goofy face
More silliness

Drink up, Megan, you deserve it!

Glass flowers

Today, Dave and I went to my favorite thrift shop........in this town. Two photos, I took the picture of the windmill today....the other photo is of the famous "walls", circa 1893. Those walls look remarkably similar to this day.

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At this wonderful shop, I spotted this great vintage lamp ...it was marked $6, a steal! Then, at the checkout , it was discounted by 75%, for a grand total of $1.50!!

The leaves and flower petals are glass.

I have never seen another like it, have you?

Identity crisis

Can you identify this flower? Did you give me the plants last year?
Beautiful, but I don't know what they are called or who to thank.

Help me out, please.

Open!

Loose Ends is open again.


Today, I made a new flag for the new location. (These photos are in my backyard, not Main Street)
I can't describe how busy I have been, with the shop opening, and my Mom's illness, graduations, flooding issues.. I am so grateful to have today to stay home and try to sort out some of the chaos that my house has become. As you can see from this last photo, laundry needed to be done.
A stranger coming into my kitchen, not knowing anything about us, would be puzzled by the JUNK on my kitchen counter! A few weeks of just plunking stuff down, and not putting anything away has resulted a jumble of debris.

Here's a list, in case you want to make a "Where's Waldo" kind of game of it

Two opened boxes of Turkish Delight

One unopened flask of Jack Daniels

One unopened bottle of Korbel brandy

An empty eyeglass case

A pouch of kitty treats (the cats refuse to eat them)

Partially consumed homemade angel food cake

One twist tie

Various writing instruments (all without ink)

Pads of note paper

A sheet of sticky dots

A "made in Japan" sugar and creamer set

Post- it notes in the creamer

A lone sprig of dried lavender.

A knife (to cut the cake)

A cell phone with a dead battery

All of this in an space approximately 18" by 18"!

Now imagine my entire house in similar disarray. There are isolated areas of tidiness, but I really think someone should alert Oprah, she may want to do an episode of her show on me..
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I have been knitting, but all I am capable of making is washcloths. My mind is elsewhere.

They are pretty. And strangely soothing to knit.

Nick occupies a rare empty surface.....bored with it all.

I may never move again

I may never move again.

Moving is wayyyyyyyy too much work.

Where and when did I get all this stuff?

In the middle of all this moving, I had to fly to TNNA (I hate traveling), and spend 4 days in the city.

First the hell. Then the high water.

These photos were taken today. 48 hours after the record rainfall. This is the Rock river, and the dam and parking lot right behind the new shop.

And my Mom is in the hospital.

Now for the bright side.

My Mom is getting better.

I don't have to go to the city for a whole year!

We are ready to open the new shop.

It's not raining today.

But still. I may never move again.

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The spirit is willing

The spirit is willing, but my fingers are weak. Along with my back, knees, feet, shoulders and everything else on this tired old body.. Who knew moving a yarn shop just two blocks would be so much work?

Every day, I think I will write about this or that on my blog...and by the time I get home I just fall onto the couch....a lot has been happening, but my fingers are just too tired to type.

I have had lots of help, Dave,Terri , Betty, Flouride, Clay, Delores and the Takahashi kids. Thanks to all.

Betty and Delores manage a smile at the end of a long day, more than I am capable of.

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On another note, my Emili won 1st prize in a poster contest at her mother's workplace, Quad Graphics. The theme was weather safety.

That's my handspun that Emili made into a tornado...complete with flying debris, tinfoil lightning and rhinestone hailstones! She is my granddaughter, you know!

The prize is $100 gift certificate for Barnes and Noble !!! Congrats, Emili!