Squirrels!

Our resident squirrel just discovered the suet feeder that has been hanging up all winter. Even though there are plenty of grasses and tulips to eat, he decides to visit this feeder daily. I think it's just for the exercise.

P.S.  That reminds me:  Happy Birthday, Tyler!

Male Model Visits Stillwater

Male model Ryan Erickson recently took some time away from his responsibilities at Barr Science Stuff & Modeling to showcase some of our recent furniture acquisitions. We were among the fortunate few to make off with chairs and a shelf from the Blu Dot warehouse sale. Others (I'm talking to you Skoro) got there too late and were not as lucky.  Our new table came from Simonets in Stillwater. Sadly, we only got a good deal on the thing because they are going out of business after 145 years of operation. It's a shame since they have been a furniture store since around the time Minnesota became a state. 

Here are the goods. 

Wait a second....back in March....did we bonspiel?

We Did Bonspiel!

This is pretty much old news, but Nicole and I attended the 3rd or 2nd or something Bonspeil Cup that Ryan and Sarah Erickson annually host. It is an equal opportunity event held in Two Harbors, MN and allows curlers of all skill level participate so long as you are friendly with the Ericksons--no enemies allowed.

Here is Ryan doing his best to stack his team with a bunch of ringers. This plan was successful since I was on his team with Wally/Justin. We got 2nd place in the tournament, but.......whatever. 

I have been told that I curl with the same intensity that Bobby Fischer used to beat Boris Spassky at Reykjavik in 1972.
Nicole curls like she is about break into a bag of plain M&Ms.
I promised Kyle that I would send him this picture, but never did. Kyle, here you go!

A good day was had by all and even though we didn't win the game, we won the hearts of our friends and I think that's the important thing. However, if we had won, I probably wouldn't care about all the friend crap, but I guess the hearts are still important.

Happy Earth Day from Stillwater

In honor of Earth Day, here are some recent photos from our nature trails.  

We took a walk around Lake McKusick over the Easter weekend to catch up with the red-winged blackbirds, painted turtles, and beavers (you have to look carefully for that one...TJ will show you where to look).

Bulbs continue to pop up around the yard.  The first two photos are existing bulbs from years ago, but the next three photos are bulbs I planted last fall.  I'm very glad to see that they survived the winter.  You would think I would know what type of flowers appeared (or could remember what I planted), but alas - at almost 30 years old - all I can recall is the daffodil.

And for those keeping track, the herbs are doing great at week 4 (and a half).  We would have more cilantro, except we needed a few leaves for a recipe and had to raid our little seedlings.  They were delicious.  

Happy Easter with Signs of Spring!

To continue with our growth series, here are some happenings in the Johnson yard:

Happy Easter!

Herb Growth Mega-Post

I understand there has been much interest (albeit, from my mother) in our herb project, so please enjoy the following signs of growth.  

Week One

Basil just beginning to emerge

Oregano sprouting like a weed

One tiny cilantro shoot

Week Two

Basil forming first leaves

Cilantro taking off like a rocket

Lavender branching out

Week Three

Basil developing true leaves

Cilantro ready for transplanting

Oregano looking good, possibly overcrowded

Pickles thinking about a snack

Lavender improving

It might be time to think about transplanting to larger containers.  I also planted rosemary, which is doing nothing, and spearmint, which is barely represented.  I'll try planting those outside this spring to see what they do.  

This week's project:  starting tomatoes and peppers from seed.  Keep your fingers crossed!

More Midwest Flooding? No, Just a Normal Spring.

Beautiful day today.  We took a walk downtown to check out the crest on the St. Croix.  From our viewpoint, it didn't look too bad.

The road is closed.  While it can't compare to the Fargo-Moorhead operation, our little sandbag dike is doing its part to protect the city, and TJ is doing his part to look pretty.

FYI: No Parking Any Time.  I know you were thinking about it.  Don't.  Also, pack up your skates.  They're not needed here.

This happens every spring.  Fortunately, there is nothing to flood except the downtown parks and sidewalks.  Maybe someday it will take out the bridge, but that's fine.  Who goes to Wisconsin anyway?  Everything good is in Minnesota!