Narveson News Blog Edition

Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Ted and Kim) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:19:00 +0000

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family.

More Red

noreply@blogger.com (Ted and Kim) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 15:53:00 +0000

Less then two weeks till Christmas, three parties down and three to go. The weather has turned, there is snow on the ground and more to come. The lakes are iced over and now I must wait. Wait and wait, wait until the ice is thick enough to go out on. I will wait for the Darwin fishermen (that's what you call someone that goes through the ice or thinning of the gene pool) to go out. If the ice will holds them and I test it and it is 4-5 inches thick, then game on. That could be next weekend for me.

Since this is the year of RED for us, I thought you might like to see just a couple of trees from our back yard. I know, one looks like a Charley Brown tree, but it needs love to.

Female's

noreply@blogger.com (Ted and Kim) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:57:00 +0000

With the onset of cold temps, the Woodpeckers have been busy at the suet feeders this week. I thought I would show you two of the five types that visit our backyard. This female Pileated Woodpecker is 17" in length, compared to this female Downy Woodpecker, that is only 6" in length. The Pileated is very odd looking, and at one time was called the "Oh my gash Woodpecker" due to its size.

Even our bust of a female, is getting in to the Christmas spirit
.

I'm Dreaming of a RED Christmas?

noreply@blogger.com (Ted and Kim) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 22:16:00 +0000

A red Christmas it is! The dreaming is over, the house is red from top to bottom. The neighbors are seeing red. Keep watching for more photo's to come.

Coyote?

noreply@blogger.com (Ted and Kim) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:27:00 +0000

Look who is sharing the trail with us. Yep, for the third time this year, Kim and I have run into Coyotes. This time, just two miles from our house. No wonder the rabbit population is down in our area. He or she walked down the trail as if they owned the place, and in natures why they do. But once it went in to the tall grass, it blending right in.

With this being Thanksgiving week, it can only mean one thing! it must be time to decorate the house for Christmas. Now if it would only snow. Stay tuned for this years color.

Still Looking?

noreply@blogger.com (Ted and Kim) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:55:00 +0000

Keeping with last weeks blog, I thought I would show some more examples of what to look for. Do you see the two Tree Sparrows along the side of the road. Click on the photos and you will see them. Hawks are the easy ones this time of year. Just look in the trees to large vertical objects, off smaller branches.

So keep looking, you never know what you will find.

30 days until ice fishing season starts? last year Dec 10th!

How do you see that?

noreply@blogger.com (Ted and Kim) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:09:00 +0000

How do you see that? That was the questions that I use to ask my late brother Tom. We would be driving down the road, walking through some field and he would say " Did you see that!" and I would always say " See what?" Tom taught me to look for was does belong in what you are looking at. We all get tunnel vision, we drive the same way home, walk the same path or you spouse buys something new and just sets it out waiting for the 48 hour rule to kick in. Our brains get used to looking at the same thing over and over. This Sharped Tail Grouse blends in very nice in to the leafs. Or look into the stream, notice the Snapping turtle? So look around next time you are out or even in your own home. You never know what you will find. "Did you see that!"

Just Stopping By

noreply@blogger.com (Ted and Kim) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:00:00 +0000

The move south is in full swing in our area. The residents of the tundra and Boreal Forest are traveling to warmer climate. I found these family of Sand Hill Cranes on a back road of Wisconsin on their way to Texas.
These American Wigeons are heading to the Gulf Coast. And this Fox Sparrow on its way to the Southeastern United States.

If you look up when ducks fly over head, keep your month closed.

Were is October going?

noreply@blogger.com (Ted and Kim) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:44:00 +0000

I can not believe that today is October 25! this month is just flying by, and when did the trees turn color? just last week they looked green. Now the world is orange. Not the worst color in the world, and if you would ask Kim, she would say it is the only color. Orange hair, Orange truck, Orange clothes.

They say that the older you get the faster time goes? My mom turned 87 this week. I didn't think that she was that old? It made her fell good when I told her that. But then do we ever think our moms as old? I don't. I think of my mom as the same age she was when I was 16. Maybe it is because I always seem to be acting my shoe size. If that is the case, then that explains the count down the Christmas! less the 60 days!! Or less the 60 days till ice fishing starts!

Color?

noreply@blogger.com (Ted and Kim) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:21:00 +0000

Color? could this be the year with out the colors of Fall? I have had to look hard to find colors this year. But they are out there. As I started the fall clean up, that will last from now until the snow sticks, I noticed that some of the trees are dropping there leaves and they are still green. Must have been from the freezing temps and snow from last week.

Color or not color, I still like fall. Now if I could just burn leaves. Remember the smell?

Vegas Baby

noreply@blogger.com (Ted and Kim) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:38:00 +0000

How many times have you watched some event on TV, only to say " We should go there". Well that is what we did this past weekend. Kim and I went to the Barrett Jackson car auction in Las Vegas! We watched car after car being sold. Some from $10,000 t0 $400,000. From one of a kind to every day drivers. I was fun to watch in person and to see how many people it takes to put something like this on. Vegas was also a time for us just to hang low by the pool with a cocktail in hand.

The only problem like all trips in coming home. From 85 to snow on the 12th of October? What happened to Global Warming?

And, no we did not buy a car. Not this time at least.

Get outside

noreply@blogger.com (Ted and Kim) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:57:00 +0000

This is the best time of the year. So get outside, I know that I have covered this subject before, but do it. The rain is coming and as my grandmother you to say, "It will rain until it snow"

The tree are turning.
Dowitchers from way up north on their way down south, check out those beaks.
Or the Bald Eagle that grabbed a fish.

Sometimes when I tell people what we see and were we see it, they can not believe that it is all within the metro area of Minneapolis.

So get outside before it snows.

A Thought

noreply@blogger.com (Ted and Kim) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 21:46:00 +0000

A thought for the week:

The main side effect of living, of course, is dying. Life causes death. We get to weigh that against the benefits of having deep, meaningful relationships, self-awareness, knowing love, seeing stars in the midnight heavens-not to mentions cold beer and hot dogs.

"Rider Magazine"

Wait

noreply@blogger.com (Ted and Kim) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 18:02:00 +0000

I think that we all could learn something from the Great Egret. They have the patience of a saint. They know just when to strike. They rarely come up empty. And they seam to be at the top of the food chain. Kind of makes you wonder about life in general.
I watched this Egret this past weekend, it knew exactly what it wanted and knew where to go to get it. To bad what looks to be a little Norther, didn't know that it should not have been where it was.

Well it is official, we are pining for fall. Kim and I are both tired of the 80 degree temp. Fall looks like it is trying to turn on the colors.

Oh, the blood fog

noreply@blogger.com (Ted and Kim) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 21:42:00 +0000

Every have one of those days, you leave the house at the crack of dawn, the weather is perfect. You find a new area to go hiking or birding and the fog forms. Well that's the way it was today, I felt like I was back living in Sheboygan. But, it was not a total waste of the morning. The fog showed off all the spider webs that looked like jewels, when the sun finely did burn away the fog.

I have updated the Picasa website with photo's for the past nine months. Follow the link on the left.

End of Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Ted and Kim) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 12:39:00 +0000

If you know Kim and I, you know that we are up a going before the sun comes up on most days and the last days of the fair was no exception. We are on the first bus to the fair and through the gates by 8 AM. Since most people are just getting out of bed by that time on a Saturday, I thought you would like to see what it looks like at that time. Or you can fight the crowd as it looks at 2 PM. But once again it was a great year for the fairs for us. Next week I will have the ribbon count for all the fairs this year. Kim is already thinking about next years fairs, only ten months til the first county fair.

Can Fall be close by? I wonder if this tree knows something?

MN State Fair

noreply@blogger.com (Ted and Kim) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:15:00 +0000

How did I do? that is the question that is on Kim's mind. Well to make a long story short 11 ribbons. Not bad at all, however, my nuts did not win this year. But on the upside, no one this year was awarded Best Nuts of the Fair. So I have that going for me.
Got Milk?
Did you know that the MN State Fair had a General Store.

Round Two

noreply@blogger.com (Ted and Kim) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:58:00 +0000

The second trip to the fair grounds, this time it is the baked goods. So how many ribbons does the wagon hold?
Everyone thinks that they can bake, but this year the line went on and on to enter you baked goods. This should be a good fair
Okay, so this part two of how I make my Smoked Nuts. But truth be told, Kim does help.
And you know it was a tough fair season, when the KitchenAid ground a gear! Oh well, it was worth it.
Stay tuned for the ribbon count!

Big One!

noreply@blogger.com (Ted and Kim) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 22:21:00 +0000

Can you believe it! today was the first of three trips to the Minnesota State Fair. Today was Canning, 19 jams, jellies and sauces are entered. This is the true test as to how good you really are. So with a full wagon it was off to the fair grounds we went. Now if you have ever been to entry day a the fair, you see all kinds of different ways to bring your good. Some have bags, some have boxes, but leave it up to Kim to use a wagon. This is Kim's fair wagon and I can not even think of using is for anything else. When it comes time for the baked goods day. The wagon has three leaves to it and she is the envy of the fair, as other are pushing and pulling their bags, boxes and baskets.

Carver County Fair

noreply@blogger.com (Ted and Kim) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 23:47:00 +0000

And the winner at the Carver County Fair?

Ted, Photo's and Bonsai 3 First Place, 2 Second Place and 1 Third Place

Kim, Jam's, Jelly Baked Goods, 21 First Place, 4 Second Place, 1 Third Place. 4 Champion, 3 Reserve Champion.

Next up the Minnesota State Fair.

I love this kid's line "Hey Lady, what to pet my Duck" This kid is going to be trouble as he gets older!
Only in Minnesota, do you give out ribbons for Target Shooting. There still is hope for the the next generation.
What would a fair be with out old tractors.

Dog Life

noreply@blogger.com (Ted and Kim) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 00:33:00 +0000

Who ever came up with the saying "It's a dogs life" knew a thing or two about dogs. Nellie is less then four pounds, but don't tell her that! She is all dog, except when Kim has her in her grips. But when Nellie is with me, the windows are down and wind is blowing in her hair.
The hair bow was Kim's idea and that did not last very long.
Show me a dog that does not love a good T bone. 4 pounds or 1o4 pounds, they all love a good bone.
And to end the day, there is nothing better then, taking a nap in the sun and waiting for the next ride or bone to come my way.

Can you hear me?

noreply@blogger.com (Ted and Kim) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:50:00 +0000

Not much to say this week, which is not always a bad thing. But these photo sure did.

Walk In the Swamp

noreply@blogger.com (Ted and Kim) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 22:15:00 +0000

It was a perfect day to talk a walk in the swamp. The sun was out, the wind has stopped blowing and the temperature made it above 60. The birds are signing at full volume, even one decided to catch some sun. The butterflies are out, flying from flower to flower. Not bad for July 19!
But then again you could be a frog!

Look Around

noreply@blogger.com (Ted and Kim) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 21:48:00 +0000

We spend all this time busting our butts to get are yards looking nice, then we take off for the summer, weekend or stay inside because it is just to hot or the bugs are out. So today, I thought I would take a closer look around my own back yard and look for what is not seen.

So before summer is over and the leave have come down. Take a walk around your yard or my yard and see what you can find, you may find something that you did not know what you had.

Summer is here

noreply@blogger.com (Ted and Kim) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:40:00 +0000

I can finely say it, summer is here and less the six month I will be out ice fishing. So what's cooking? For the 4th weekend I double smoked a ham with brown sugar/OJ glaze. The smell was so good in the yard of hickory smoke and pork. Four hours later and you have the finish product. Kim started making jam and jelly this weekend also. Strawberry, Blackberry, Fig and Blueberry. The cheese bread is in the oven, should be some good eats tonight.