Odds 'n ends

It's been a busy month, starting with a home project followed by a trip to Canada and then visit by my two sisters who drove up from Iowa to see us.  Of course I have some pictures and comments to go with.

The home project was putting a new shed up to replace our old rusting out one that you can see to the right of the new one in progress.  We had to wait all spring for two nice days in a row to first get the floor built and then attach walls and finally a roof, but it went pretty well and we're both happy with the result.

Erin in late June had taken one of our cats to the vet because of a sinus infection and while she was there someone brought in a kitten they'd seen alongside the highway.  The vet's office didn't have a space for him, so Erin said she'd be able to take care of him.  Erin named him Charlie and he was about six weeks old and so very cute.  I wasn't sure about keeping him but, really, how can anyone resist?

In other pet news, our dog Tucker developed a hot spot on his rear end that he kept bothering, so after a visit to the vet to treat it he got to wear a new collar to keep him from bothering it while it heals.  He was not amused.  He also kept running into our legs with it like a bull in a china shop.  He finally got it off last weekend and is much happier now.

A little over a week ago Erin and I went to Stillwater to hear some music in a park alongside the St. Croix River and while we were enjoying the lovely evening we saw some balloons ascend into the sky from the Wisconsin side of the river.  One descended almost down to the river and Erin had fun taking pictures of them with my camera that I was thoughtful enough to bring with me.

We also saw the gondola that offers rides on the river out taking a couple for a romantic float, and Erin snapped a picture of it as it passed underneath the lift bridge.

Last weekend my sisters came to visit and we had dinner in Stillwater on Friday night.  We were hoping to enjoy some fine dining outdoors along the riverbank, but the weather was cold and windy so we had to settle for dining indoors with a view instead.  Here's Erin on the left and my two sisters, Andrea in the middle and April on the right, at our table.








That's it.  I wish I had some images of our good times at this year's Winnipeg Folk Festival, but I never managed to remember my camera for even one of the five days we were there.  Maybe next year I will.

If I Were a Dog

by Richard Shelton

I would trot down this road sniffing
on one side and then the other
peeing a little here and there
wherever I felt the urge
having a good time what the hell
saving some because it's a long road

but since I'm not a dog
I walk straight down the road
trying to get home before dark

if I were a dog and I had a master
who beat me I would run away
and go hungry and sniff around
until I found a master who loved me
I could tell by his smell and I
would lick his face so he knew

or maybe it would be a woman
I would protect her we could go
everywhere together even down this
dark road and I wouldn't run from side
to side sniffing I would always
be protecting her and I would stop
to pee only once in awhile

sometimes in the afternoon we could
go to the park and she would throw
a stick I would bring it back to her

each time I put the stick at her feet
I would say this is my heart
and she would say I will make it fly
but you must bring it back to me
I would always bring it back to her
and to no other if I were a dog