Good morning, gardeners, lurkers and anyone else who stumbles on the Saturday Morning Garden Blog to check out our wonderful variety of photos or just to visit a place with no pie fights.
This lengthy diary chronicles travels with my long time friend Judy, to check off a few bucket list items and to share our mutual love of organic gardening. A section revolves around the local Farmers Market in Little Falls, MN, and a start-up co-op store called The Purple Carrot affiliated with www.sproutmn.com
Today is dedicated to a very special cat named Stretch, aka “Mr. Cool”, a magnificent male tuxedo, very large and long (48” long from tip of tail to outstretched paws), who crossed the rainbow bridge suddenly in August. He was 20+ years old. He was a rescue cat of unknown age 18 years ago and much loved by Judy, me and Snickey, the other cat who lives with Judy.
I left Dallas TX at the end of July and returned at the end of Sept. Traveled to Little Falls in central Minnesota. In two months Judy and I tried to cram years of national park sightseeing/checking off bucket list items/gig work/driving 1,000 miles/gardening/attending the Immersive VanGogh show/visiting the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden/living with neighborhood street construction /picking+pickling and eating fresh produce from her highly productive organic veggie garden.
The Wed/Sat morning Farmers’ Market was THE place to be to fill out your fresh veggie shopping list. Little Falls is a thriving CSA home garden and farm-to-table community. The farmer’s market sells bounties from garden truck farm owners and home gardeners. The Purple Carrot Market is a start-up food co-op looking to open a physical grocery store in historic downtown Little Falls. A building has been purchased (the building includes rental apartments). I became a member while I was in town.
Judy was shanghaied into a grant-funded paid senior work project. She works a few hours each Wednesday and Saturday (seasonally) and runs the SNAP, EBT and WIC transactions at the market. She has developed a program called POP (Power of Produce) funded by a donor, to teach kids how to shop for/buy fresh fruits and veggies. It’s been a huge success. Many of the kids bring their parents to the market the following week to show them what they’ve learned and to buy fresh veggies. Some kids have purchased tomato and other plant starts in the Spring and have begun gardening to understand how vegs/fruit actually grow.
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Garden-ripe fresh tomato varieties were endlessly bountiful from both J’s garden and the market. They created more than one juicy sandwich with a side of sweet corn on the cob. The autumn harvest was starting early due to drought in this part of the state. Tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, watermelon, musk melon, green beans, purple beans, peas, cucumbers, copious quantities of beets, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, peppers, rhubarb, cabbage, onions, potatoes, fresh eggs, berries, local jams/jellies, A to Z list of fresh herbs, and corn on the cob. Sweet corn poured in from my friend’s garden and the Farmers’ Market. 99.9% our meals were vegan or vegetarian for two months.
The zucchini from her garden was enormous — each one around16-18” long, each weighing about 4 lbs. J traded these mammoth vegs as feed for another home gardener’s free range chickens. In return, J got eggs. Those eggs were huge, delicious and made a lot of breakfasts.
The daily bounty from J’s small vegetable garden was astounding. So much so that we filled an entire upright freezer full of veggies, gave away tens of pounds and ate even more. Put up enough veggies in freezer to last until next summer. J experimented with sweet corn freshly cut from cob roasted with jalapeno and Habanero peppers (later frozen). Fresh-out-of-the-garden celery every day; fresh basil every day; fresh everything every day! J’s quick refrigerator pickled beets were an every day treat.
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Our first planned sight-seeing excursion to Duluth and Two Harbors was cancelled due to wildfires. We wanted to beachcomb for agates on Lake Superior and photograph the Milky Way. Fires spread rapidly from Canada into northern MN. Photo taken at 10am in Little Falls July 29, 2021. All media attention was directed to the US west coast. Very little info about the Canadian/MN fires reached beyond local news.
Disappointed at not getting to beachcomb, we grumpily prepared for our upcoming gigs. We braved the unknown vagaries of crowds and COVID to face paint and airbrush temporary tattoos at Crow Wing County Fair in early August. Later in August we worked a three day music festival in Milwaukee, WI. Crow Wing Fair hours were long (noon to midnight) for six consecutive days. We hauled a medium size trailer with all the gear. It was a challenge for two COVID-sedentary fully vaccinated old gals to heft, haul, throw and crawl around on the dirt to get everything the way we wanted. We were exhausted after the set-up day. Took about half an hour to reset each day and an hour or so to close each night then drive home. Temps hovered in the high 90s with gawd-awful humidity. I deliberately scheduled this trip for August to get away from the heat/humidity in Texas. Hah! It followed me.
We painted a never-ending line of mostly non-masked crowds each day of the Fair. Painting kept us affixed to our chairs. Neither of us even took a short walk around the fairgrounds.
We tried a local delicacy called “cheese curds”. Cholesterol heart attack in a basket served with ranch dressing. Thereafter, we brought food from home.
Things that we thought were going well — quickly went haywire. Stretch became very ill on the 5th day at Crow Wing. Judy was frantic and drove home to take the cat to the 24-hour emergency vet who kept him overnight. The sixth day after working till midnight, we loaded out, cleaned up the grounds and drove home. Then back to the emergency vet to get Stretch. Vet could do nothing more to help him; Stretch was going downhill rapidly. He died in Judy’s arms at home the following day. Tearfully, we gently laid him in a towel-lined box with a cover. He was buried at the family farm. Many more tears that day.
Tears and grief or not, we had to begin again and pack the truck with new supplies to prepare for the 40th anniversary of Irish Fest in Milwaukee. Snickey, the other house cat, was also in serious need of lots of attention: he missed Stretch. This lovable fur ball of a tabby cat is more like a Puffalump toy. He loves to have his belly scratched (along with ‘his pits’ — base of front legs), will roll over on the command “Yay, Snickey.” But only with applause!
Long drive from central MN to Milwaukee. We stayed in a wreck of an airbnb. Iffy hot water and no coffee pot filters explains why the daily fee was a pittance. We were too tired to complain. The benefit: it was a 10 minute drive to SummerFest grounds.
A tent (hallelujah!) was included in entry fee to the 3 day Irish Fest. It was even hotter and, if possible, more humid than Crow Wing. Set up was a full day before official start of Fest. A third artist joined us. That meant more tables/chairs/lights/signs etc. Brutal hours: 10am to midnight, but only for 3 days. Once again, we were glued to our chairs, painting. None of us took any photographs. Breaks consisted of wolfing down fabulous vanilla ice cream (for the sugar rush) from vendor next door. Both events were great fun, if very tiring, and we all made some spending money. It was another long drive home.
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J and I suffer from an illogical fascination with native wildflowers found in roadside ditches. Repeated stops along our journeys produced a LOT of photos of yellow ones. At least 99% of the flowers we photographed are considered invasive wildflowers. Still, they supply us with inspiration for fine “wild” art.
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A few days into our play-time excursions I learned that I’m allergically sensitive to evergreens (fragrance apparently). I thought it was a head cold. Just in case, we were COVID tested and were both negative. J insisted I go to her acupuncturist to help alleviate the sneezing and runny nose. The session elicited a day-long series of sneezes that originated in my toes and culminated with my being doubled over from sneeze whiplash. It did help for a while, along with wearing a mask and doubling up on meds.
True Russian Roulette is when, as an older adult, you sneeze, not knowing whether you’re gonna throw your back out or pee your pants.
Some photos from the drive through Wisconsin:
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Since our expedition to Duluth to view the Milky Way was cancelled, we decided to drive to J’s family farm (about 20 miles east) to stargaze. On an errand earlier in the week to drop off frozen beans to J’s brother on the farm, we were greeted by these beautiful ladies:
On a return trip to the very dark farmland after sunset, many many beautiful stars sparkled overhead - just not the Milky Way. It is very hard to photograph stars with an iPhone without a tripod while standing in a cornfield in the middle of a pitch black night. My need for more photography education was recognized — right then.
Once the wildfires were controlled, we embarked on our next adventure to northern Leech Lake, MN. We treated ourselves to two nights at a beautiful lodge.
Dragging ourselves out of bed the first morning for an elaborate breakfast, we mapped our route to Itasca State Park, home of the Mississippi headwaters (bucket list item). The park is beautiful, situated in the Chippewa National Forest. We walked the short trail to the headwaters. What greeted me was entirely different than what I expected. These headwaters were a mere trickle.
I’ve crossed the mighty Mississippi River by car several times in Minneapolis; also in St. Louis via car more than once; again more than once by car in Baton Rouge LA; and experienced up close more than once, the even wider/faster/mightier Mississippi from below sea level height of New Orleans. These headwaters left me dumbstruck and agog at the same time.
Lake Itasca, a serene marshy lake, was ankle deep and draining at a medium-slow flow around what looked like strategically placed large boulders, creating the headwaters of Mississippi River. The water was low and not cold. High temperatures and scarce snowfall/rainfall were the culprits of drought in 2021.
We waded across the ankle deep water.
A bit of geographic history...
Seeing the north woods — a true dense pristine forest — checked off another item on my bucket list. To exit the headwaters area of the park, we drove through spectacular scenery on a winding, hilly one way road in the national forest. Trees were just beginning to turn colors. It was breathtaking. The vastness of the forest reminded me of just how much carbon has been captured by these trees over the millennia.
These are only a few of the photos taken during the lazy two hour drive.
On the way back to lodge, we stopped in Remer, MN, known as the home of Bigfoot in MN. Souvenirs were the object of my desire since the likelihood of my seeing Bigfoot before I die is non-existent. No shops were open. This is my only Big Foot photo of a small statue outside a shop and the very dark one is J’s.
Back at the lodge, we enjoyed sitting at the lake’s edge watching a large gaggle of Canadian geese and goslings flock and roost nearby. A few egrets fished along the shoreline. Pitch black squirrels (genetic mutation) scampered around, dodging bald eagles and other raptors hunting for a meal. Another bucket list item crossed off: one startling up-close sighting of a very large bald eagle in low flight. Unfortunately no photo (too busy ducking). Driving back to the lodge from the headwaters, I was treated to the grizzly sight of a bald eagle and another scavenger enjoying a meal of unknown roadkill on the roadside. The food chain at work. No photo.
A tunnel through the clouds on the way.
Beautiful autumn foliage at the lodge.
There were dozens of recently hatched goslings on the property next to the lodge. The adult geese had created a creche (a type of nursery to keep goslings safe; not a sci-fi place for alien offspring) in a marshy area for the new babies to congregate and be raised communally by the adults. Would that humans could be so selfless and united.
I was fascinated by the strange mixture of light grey sand and rock along the shoreline where many unusual things grew. The same “soil” base was underneath the lodge’s lawn. I think it is called glacial till. A few pictures:
We headed back to Little Falls after breakfast on the third day.
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A short trip to the community gardens in LF provided one afternoon’s introduction to some new flowers. This one was the most striking because of its height.
We now had 12 days to relax after our busy work schedule and gallivanting in the North. The only confirmed future activity was the Immersive Van Gogh show in Minneapolis on 9/8. J took photos; I didn’t. Excellent show; be prepared to stand or sit on floor. You can pay a fee to ‘use’ a cushion (must be returned) or a larger premium to get one to keep with Starry Night printed on it. Gift shop was $$$$$$. Was tempted by a lovely nylon scarf with a print of Almond Blossoms. Temptation was thwarted at the $75 price tag. Might have considered it if it had been silk.
We then headed to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden near the Walker Art Center. It was OK. Just a let-down and an entirely different pace from the wildly colorful, loud and fast-moving VanGogh show.
The Oldenberg/van Bruggen Spoonbridge Fountain dominated everything, along with an enormous blue rooster (Hahn/Cock by Katharina Fritsch). A brother blue rooster resides in London and a third at the National Gallery of Art in DC. On one corner I thought I was looking at a dinosaur bone sculpture that turned out to be a horse. (Artists really do see things differently). Whatever. Definitely an unusual collection of sculpture. The most fascinating thing for me was an unfinished new installation of concrete benches in broken concentric circles representing Native American tribal gatherings.
After all the play time was over, the flower gardens became the focal point of work. Some photos taken in August; the bulk in September. A pileated woodpecker visited daily and hummingbirds checked out various nectar flowers late every evening; dozens of fat noisy house wrens and black-capped chickadees made both yards their home; collared doves wandered around looking for ground seeds; a flock of geese traveled twice daily to/from the nearby Mississippi river. The chickadees loved the birdseed ball (from julesloft.com) protected under the house’s front eve, in front of the picture window. We watched the birds every chance we could.
One large flower bed had to be moved to allow for installation of a new sewer line. All the plants were temporarily housed in buckets. Transplanting is over since freezing weather has now set in. A short/quick non-inclusive inventory of what was in the works for transplanting or storing: 100+ tall bearded iris, 8 peonies, 4 aphrodite hostas, 2 dozen asiatic tiger lilies, 3 geraniums, dozens of zinnias not quite to seed stage, multiple 6’+ tall phlox, blooming rudbeckia, and at least 16 canna lilies. My contribution to the gardening was to sort and divide tall bearded iris corms and cut back the fan leaves to about 3”. Took a whole day to prepare iris for planting. The cannas, dahlias and peonies were stored in the cold basement.
The garden:
Judy is the only gardener I’ve ever known to get a mother-in-law’s tongue (sansevieria) to bloom annually!
On the whole, it was a wonderful two months away from my very boring life. Both of us recognized how isolated we have been — and talked endlessly.
Travel during COVID was screwy and unpredictable; avoid it if at all possible. J invited me to spend the month of January with her in Costa Rica. Tempted and declined. My cat would never forgive me if I was gone another month.
My bucket list has finally been shortened. What remains: seeing the Milky Way and seeing the Northern Lights. The aurora borealis DID show up on Oct 11 in Minnesota and again on Oct 30, visible within 30 miles of Little Falls. Judy headed north to catch a glimpse of the light show three nights in a row. Results were a photographic goose-egg because of heavy clouds. I should have paid far more attention to something on the web regarding black squirrel symbolism. They are believed to be forecasters of solar flares. The irony is galling.
Planning a “Milky Way” trip to Big Bend National Park in west Texas with my daughter next year. I ordered Expert Photography for Beginner’s guide and cheat sheet to shooting the Milky Way with iPhone (with lens adapters). Sharing this bounty with J. My daughter, the photographer in the family, probably already knows all of it. Rather than vex her with a jillion questions, I’ll study the pictures and instructions. If all goes as planned, it will be a reason to post another travel issue of Saturday Morning Garden Blog!
Thanks for visiting SMGB today.
Gardening is cheaper than therapy. And you get tomatoes.