Landscaping and deck

Well we finally heard from the landscaper. Looks like they'll get started next Tuesday or Wednesday. I put the deck beams on and yesterday I put down weed fabric and covered it with rocks. I guess I'll start building it after lunch. The landscaper will just have to work around it. I would like to have it done since we bought a new picnic table to put on it. Tomorrow Gramma and will go shopping for the Bayou Family. The list must be huge by now. The plane gets in Saturday night at 8:00, so it will be a late night. Next Thursday we are going to the Farmer Daughter's. Maybe she'll have new piglets by then. We should be seeing some fawns pretty soon too. While the kids are here we'll have to put an addition on the chicken coop cause the new chicks are too big for the garage pen now. Always something. A farmers work is never done.

Later.

Man Vs Fish

Well, got home from the fishing trip, or should I say the "Where in the heck are the fish" trip. The weather was great the lake was nice and the beer was good. However the fish were on vacation. A guy I used to work with, Doug Oberg fished with me and he caught a small northern,so at least I know the boat works. I guess I'll have to wait til the grandkids get here and they can show me how to catch fish. Now as to the picture of the little stone hut in my last Irish blog, that is what is known as "Irish Pork Butt". I thought I might post a few more pics from our trip in a different post cause I didn't want to add anything to what I actually wrote while we were there. Does that make sense? Anyway I hope you enjoyed what I wrote.

The R.F.

Ireland Day 10

Cloudy day today and some rain. We ate at a Chinese restaraunt last night. Good food and something different. Had a Chinese beer. Light and sweet and not my favorite. People in this country don't seem to use ice. Only one place we stayed at had ice, and then you had to ask a porter to get some from the bar. Or else you have to find a big grocery store and even then you have to ask someone where it is cause they only carry a couple bags. People here don't seem to like pepper much either. The pepper shakers are filled with a very fine powdered pepper. It's almost not worth it cause it takes so much to get the taste. (Our oldest daughter would like this) Well this guest house is another place where the hot water seems to be kept in another town. Took ten minutes for it to get here and then it's just a trickle.We stopped at Bunratty castle today. It was pretty neat. It was mostly restored and they have medieval banquets here. There was one table that was over 500 years old. It was one solid piece of oak 22 feet long 3 feet wide and about 3 inches thick. They have a village set up here and it's pretty cool. Some of the buildings were here and some were dismantled from other parts of the country and reassembled stone by stone. It's set up like a village in the late 1700's and early 1800's. Got to the hotel in Shannon. HOT WATER RIGHT NOW YAYYY! Leave at 10 AM. Fly to New Jersey and change planes to get home. Well it sure has been an adventure.

At the airport. Flying business class gets you into the private lounge, where snacks and drinks are free. Comfortable chairs to sit in while you wait for your plane. Bought some stuff at the airport store and it was actually cheaper. Finally found the tweed hat I have wanted for years. Cost me 48Euro wow. Oh well I make it look good.

THE END

Ireland Day 9

Monday 10/4 /04

Last night we unplugged the portable heater when we went to bed because the cord was all frayed and didn't look safe. Finally warmed up in the room about 5 AM. I now understand why it didn't get warm in the room. The heaters are the old fashioned hot water radiators and apparently hot water DOES NOT GET TO THIS FLOOR. Took a cold shower this morning. BRRRR. Going to grab breakfast and run. Heading to Limerick.Another interesting thing in this hotel is the elevator. When you get in and push the button, the elevator drops about a foot and then goes back up to level before it goes up or down. When you get to the correct floor, it goes past it about a foot and then slowly moves to level after the door opens. Also it stops at a mezzanine level and then you go up or down some stairs to get to your room. Weird. Yesterday we found a Purvis in the phone book. Made Gramma's day. She was starting to worry she wasn't Irish. The sun is out today, no clouds at all. Stopped at Blarney and saw the Blarney castle. Way cool. I did not kiss the Blarney Stone for luck like your supposed to. Sometime ask me why. I did see it however, not impressed. But the castle was very impressive. Tiny stone steps go up around inside the towers. Very steep and narrow. Small rooms all over. Small passages too. It is built on and around the rocks, so the natural rock formation is part of some of the rooms. Went on to Limerick. Hotel is very small and no lift. Went to see King John's Castle. It was OK, but not like Blarney castle. They run it like a museum with a slide show and short film. Tomorrow we drive to Shannon, about 12 miles away. Going to try to stop at Bunratty Castle. It is supposed to be the most complete and authentic medieval castle in Ireland, authentically restored in 1954.

Rain and rain.

Well on Saturday Gramma and I put in the posts for the deck. On Sunday(Mothers Day) our son and his family took us to brunch. Very nice to spend this time together. It was 9 in the morning but our granddaughter "The Princess" had Mac&Cheese and our grandson Bubba had a huge hamburger. The waitress seemed to want me to eat from the "Senior Menu" but I refused. You only get one egg on that menu. I like senior discounts, but only if you get more for your money than the young whippersnappers. Sunday afternoon the Farmer Daughter came over and helped Gramma and I put in the big posts for the hay shed. Couldn't have done it without her. Thank you. Monday the landscaper called and said he was behind because of the weather and wasn't sure when he would get here. Monday night it started to rain and as I write this it still hasn't totally stopped. So that will put him farther behind I'm sure. I understand though, having worked outdoors most of my life. Oh well, que sera sera. It will get done when it does. Fishing opener this weekend. I will finally see if I can catch a fish out of that new boat. I'm betting on me. Wish me luck, I'll file a report good or bad.

Ireland Day 8

Sunday 10/3/04

Made it to Cobh.(cove) Cobh is on an island in the Cork harbor. Very small roads. There is some kind of marathon going on, so people are running in the lane we are driving in. Very scary. (I don't think they know I'm an American and liable to run them over if they don't move) Cobh is the last port that the Titanic and Lusitania stopped at before they sank. Staying at the Commodore Hotel. Don't know when it was built, but it's very old. The floors slant quite a bit and in three different directions. Amazing. Even sober they make you feel tipsy. Set a bottle of whiskey on the desk by the tv and it slid off. TV must be bolted down. Cold in the room too. Went to the desk to ask about the heat and the girl said that they didn't turn the heat on until 5 o'clock.(Seriously) Not much to see here, should have gone on to Limerick. I found out the hotel was built in 1849. Went to the "Titanic Bistro and Pub". This building was where passengers for the "White Star Line"embarked. People waited here and bought tickets for the Titanic and Lusitania. The heaters in the room don't work. They sent the porter up with a portable heater and it sort of takes the chill off. Hope tomorrow is better. (The last pic is the memorial to the Titanic and Lusitania passengers)

Snow

For the first time since they have been keeping weather records there was no snow in Minnesota in March. That's right, no hockey tournament flurries, no basketball tournament blizzards, NO SNOW. No snow in April either, which isn't unheard of, and snow in May happens sometimes, but seldom accumulates. So we had April in March, May in April and March in May. If this keeps up will we have February in June? We'll have to buy winter clothes for the B.R. kids when they get here. We can go sledding instead of fishing. I can hear our daughter saying Yikes right now. Don't worry little girl, I'll fix it.

Spring

Sure signs of spring today. We had two cardinals and an evening grosbeak on the feeder today. It's snowing pretty good right now and actually starting to stick. I can see the shed roof and it's all white. We have some landscapers coming on Monday to do some work around the house. It should make a huge difference and make this more of a finished place. I'm gonna build a deck and we're making a patio behind the garage. Also working on the hay shed. As you know our family from Louisiana is coming up this month. We are very excited. Here is a pic of five of our grandkids, and another of them relaxing by the pond. Aren't they cute in their gator suits?

I thought I would introduce our girls as individuals. Now you can match the egg pics with the hen that layed them. Some fun huh? the first pic is Lucy.(Yes that's a big pile of fertilizer behind her) She is the rebel of the group. Likes to eat out of my hand, always the last in the coop at night. Last night I went down twice to close up things cause she was still out in the pasture. Probably be the one the coyotes get. Next is Alice. She has had some laying problems. Layed quite a few eggs with no shell, but layed a good one yesterday. Then there is Ethel. She hasn't layed an egg for a few days, don't know why. And finally Crooked Butt. Gramma has renamed her Annie. So that's who she is from now on. She is our most consistent layer. Here she is making my breakfast. Thanks girls, you bring fun and joy into our lives.

Pastures and Pork

So the pastures are about ready now. The horses have been making it known that they want to get that grass. I think today we'll put them out for a 1/2 hour. This is always fun cause I have to chase them off with the whip and the 4 wheeler when their time is up and they never go easy. Then they will be mad for the rest of the day. Here's a couple of rubber noses and Pinky saying "Put down that camera and feed me". It doesn't matter what time of the day you go to the barn the boys think they're supposed to be fed and they are not quiet about it. Guess I better go feed them.

Ireland Day 7

Saturday 10/2/04

Rained during the night. (As usual) Going to see the Ross Castle today. Need to find a laundromat today too. Drove to Ross Castle, but got there too early to get inside. It's a ruin so there probably wasn't much to see. No one gets up early in Ireland. Maybe some farmers do, but no one else. Nothing opens until 9:00 A.M. and even then they don't open on the dot. They open at 9:00 if they happen to get there then. Frustrating for me. Drove up into the mountains to a place called Ladies View.(It is called that because Queen Victoria's Ladies In Waiting would picnic here whenever she was in Ireland) Quite the drive. In some spots the rock was overhanging the road. There is a narrow tunnel cut out of the rock. Beautiful views. Scary drive. Partly sunny today, very windy. It's sunshine-rain-sunshine-rain and the wind always blows. Went a place called Muckross House. It's a Victorian Estate House bult in 1845. Very impressive. Huge trees. Came back and ate a late lunch. Stopped in a pub and there were 6 or 7 drunken Irishmen singing to each other. Strange, but kinda cool too. Ate dinner at O'Learys Restaurant. Had lobster. First time I ever had a whole lobster. It was good, but not as good as Gramma's broiled lobster tail. Driving to Cork and Cobh(pronounced cove) tomorrow. Didn't find a laundromat today. Hopefully tomorrow.

(That's Gramma at the base of the castle Which is built on the rock, and that's me at the base of that tree)

Ireland Day 6

Friday 10/1/04

I slept good, but Gramma didn't. Heading to the Dingle Peninsula today. Then to The Ring of Kerry and on to Kilarney tonight. Staying at a "guesthouse" tonight. Not sure what that is, but I hope it's better than the "Grand Hotel" which ain't too grand. Went to Dingle today. Very beautiful country, but the roads are very narrow and the locals drive very fast. The roads also wind and wind a lot and you can't go more than 40 mph and most times only 30. Can't stop to take pictures. Dingle was a nice town. Stopped at Murphy's Pub for for a drink. We decided to to go right to Kilarney and not do The Ring of Kerry because we just don't have the time. Drove on a really small road to Kilarney. Went through Inch which has a large beach area. I asked Gramma what she remembered most of the drive from Dingle to Kilarney and she said "The big trucks that tried to kill us". When we left Dublin on Sunday the country changed as we went West. Going South from Galway, after we went through The Burren, it changed again. Rock walls began to give way to hedges for fences and stayed that way until the Dingle Peninsula. Then we saw rock walls again. (These hedges appear to be impenetrable and I don't think you could go through them without a chainsaw.) So we had a combination of hedge fences and rock walls. We have seen a lot of ruins of old towers and old churches all across the country. We have seen alot of new houses too. Most houses they build are made of block, including the interior walls. Then they stucco them. Ok. Now we are in Kilarney at the guesthouse. Wonderful. Decided we will stay two nights and see stuff around here. That will be more relaxing than driving so much. Bathtubs are deeper here than at home. Just thought I would mention that. From our window we can see mountains. They are called "MacGillycuddy"s Reeks". Reeks are tops of mountains.

Hope you didn't fall asleep, long post.