Saturday, April 28, 2018

Funny Looking Bird


This strange looking "bird" in the bird bath belongs to Phyllis and George. He was a bit too fast for me as he was already trying to get out when I got the pic snapped. He had been curled up in it, just enjoying life.

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Donn and Peggy are at home in Nevada

Donn and Peggy are home in Nevada and last I heard she was trying to straighten out her postal service in Carson City.  Let us know how this goes, Peggy, and sorry to take so long in telling everyone that you are okay. Okay that is except for the post office bit.

Message from Reggie

We too are glad to be up here again but next season will wait till it is really Spring!!! Duane and my son are working on our house as much as they can. The insurance company put us up into a motel for a week, then moved us into an apartment this last Wednesday until the end of July. In the midst of all this, Duane and Larry's sister Carol was laying in hospice unresponsive for the last 7 days until her body finally gave in.  Thought I'd send you her obituary.  Thank you."
Reggie
Clarification from Barb- Carol is the sister of Duane and Larry Ergan. Reggie and Duane's home in Minnesota suffered frozen and broken pipes while they were in South Texas. Their insurance company has been very helpful in helping them deal with all the problems connected with it.

Carol Ann Stich

August 23, 1940 - April 23, 2018

Monticello, Minnesota
Aug 23, 1940 - Apr 23, 2018 (Age 77)

CAROL'S OBITUARY
Age 77, of Annandale.  Passed away on April 23, 2018.

She is preceded in death by parents; granddaughter, Natasha.

Carol is survived by her children, Daryl, Christine, Jennifer, Eric, and Daniel; 20 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; siblings, Lawrence, Dianna, Duane, Eldon, Evelyn, and LeRoy.

A Celebration of Carol’s life will be at 5:00PM on Wednesday, April 25, 2018 at Peterson-Grimsmo Chapel, 250 East Broadway Street, Monticello, with visitation starting at 3:00PM.  

Saturday, April 21, 2018

From the Harpers

 We got home Sunday. We had side winds. rain, snow. we got it all. 50 dollars to stay in a campground 2nd night out. thought we were going to get blown upside down. wind kept raising the back end up and down.
When Don starts those wheels a rollin"  there is no stopping him. Glad to be home even with the cold and snow. Don has the fireplace burning so it is toasty warm here. Safe travels to all yet to come.

Irene Paulson Obituary

Irene I. Paulson

Irene I. Paulson
( January 31, 1930 - April 16, 2018 )

Irene I. Paulson, 88, of Bismarck, ND, formerly of Bowman, ND, passed away on Monday, April 16, 2018 at the Missouri Slope Lutheran Home in Bismarck.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, April 21, 2018 at 9:00 a.m. at the St. Charles Catholic Church in Bowman.  Fr. Paul Eberle will celebrate the Mass with burial to follow in the Bowman Cemetery.  There will be a Family and Friends Service on Friday, April 20, 2018 at the Krebsbach and Kulseth Funeral Home Chapel beginning at 7:00 p.m.  Visitation will be from 12-9 at the Krebsbach and Kulseth Funeral Home Chapel.
Irene was born in Bowman, ND to Irvin and Matilda (Schaff) Herman and grew up with her parents and sister, Esther (Herman) Lininger on the family farm north of Scranton, ND.

Irene graduated from Bowman High School in 1947. She attended college in Dickinson, ND obtaining her Teaching Certificate. She proceeded to teach country school for one year.

Irene married Paul E. Paulson on November 26, 1949. She and Paul farmed and raised their family south of Bowman. After retiring from farming, Paul and Irene embarked on a new adventure, moving to Alaska to manage the Knik Bar near Wasilla, Alaska. After approximately 2 years they moved back to their home in Bowman. Shortly after, they started spending winters at Magnolia Park in Donna, Tx, enjoying many friends and activities.

Over the years, Irene “wore many hats”. She was not only a farm wife and mother, but had been a salesman selling Tupperware and Shaklee, managed and cooked at the Homebase Auction Market cafĂ© during the livestock sales, making and serving many of her delicious homemade pies, bartended and served at the Flagstone Terrace, Silver Dollar and Harold’s Bar, worked for their retirement park in Texas, worked for a vendor at the flea market near their retirement park and even dealt Black Jack and called bingo here in Bowman!

Irene enjoyed and experienced life in so many ways. Her hard work and adventures took her from the Plains of the Dakotas to the tundra of Alaska to Mexico. She enjoyed reading, gardening, camping and fishing, crafts, playing cards and games, and bingo. She was always ready to help, spend time and have fun with family and friends.

She will be missed dearly by all her family and friends!

Irene is survived by her children: Leslie Paulson (Diane) Bowman, ND; Paula Doll, Bismarck, ND; Lee Paulson (Karen) Bowman, ND; Doris Paulson (Leon) Bismarck, ND and sister, Esther Lininger, Bowman, ND. Irene enjoyed her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Troy Paulson (Megan) with Anders and Finn, Bozeman, MT; Robyn Paulson (Binh) Phoenix, AZ; Jessica Doll Henkel (Kevin) with Grace and Gabe, Sioux Falls, SD; Justin Doll (Melissa) with Rhett, John, Grace and Daniel, Carlos, MN; Nicole Doll Pieper (Matt) with Lainey, Deer Creek, MN; Sparky Watson (Natalia) with Alexia, San Diego, CA; Spring Watson Braaten (Brad) with Brooklyn, Blake, and Braelyn, Bishop, CA; Levi Paulson ( Kim) with Kyler, Bowman, ND.

Krebsbach and Kulseth Funeral Services is in charge of arrangements.

Thursday, April 19, 2018

Knorr's are home

What a winter it has been this Spring. Good to know when everyone is safely in their Summer place.

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Brookers are home

We have arrived at our cozy little home and I can look out and see snow. Next winter season in Texas we plan to stay until May!

Duane Domer Passed

I received word that Duane has passed. Duane has suffered for a very long time with ill-health. Anyone with more details please send them to me and I will post them.

After considerable searching, this is the only obituary I could find.

Donna/Dubuque, IA- Duane M Domer, 87, passed away on Monday, April 16th, 2018

Irene Paulson passed

Irene passed away tonight in Bismark, N. D.
 Anyone wishing to send cards please send to:
Doris Paulson
3818 Greensboro Dr.
Bismark, N.D 58503
Burial will be in Bowman, N. D.
This is all I know at this time. Hopefully, you will be able to get more information. 
Marie

Saturday, April 14, 2018

SNOW!!

This is what we saw this morning when we got up. We've had 8-10" so far with that much more predicted for tonight and tomorrow. The Winter Storm Warning lasts until tomorrow night at 7:00. I would imagine all you folks from Minnesota and Iowa are seeing much the same thing and maybe even worse. If you are still down south, watch the weather forecasts carefully.
 This was looking through the living room window which was covered in snow. It looked like lace.

 Take note of the drift which was in front of the garage. We had to shovel the driveway to get out to go to town. We were out of coffee! That was this morning and we managed to get there and back without trouble.

This was taken through a bedroom window so the color is a bit different as it's looking through eglass which has a slight tint to it.

Friday, April 13, 2018

Yellow-headed Parrot

I can't remember if I posted this here or just on my Facebook page but it is just one of the many parrots that I have pictures of from this season in Magnolia Village. I only saw it the one time and it was down in the vicinity of Fred's house on Pecos or maybe a bit west of there. It is a large parrot, measures about 14" and is native to Mexico.

Friday, April 06, 2018

Update on Jim Voss

Hello to all...

We got Jim's results today from his recent Pet Scan!   The cancer has been stopped and very little sign of any left.....very good news!   Jim can rest now and try to get his strength back before we go home to Minnesota the end of April.   The doctor said our doctor in Sioux Falls would probably want to put him on a maintenance type of drug, and it "would not make him sick"......let's hope.  This has been a rough winter for us.   I think Jim has had at least 12 blood transfusions and 4 or more platelet bags...plus in the hospital for 6 days twice.  He is very weak from low blood....he had 2 more transfusions yesterday, and his red blood is up to 9.5, the highest it has been, but normal is 14-16, so he is not up to par yet.  Now to get his weight back to normal.   He has had so much blood down here---the nurses think he is now a Mexican---at least that is what they were giggling about yesterday.  ha 

We want to thank everybody for all the well wishes and prayers.  We wouldn't have made it without them.  Kay

Thursday, April 05, 2018

Photos from Kapkes

Carol Kapke sent me some photos from back home in Wisconsin. This is the reason we are staying here in Amarillo until Monday. We need three good days to get back home and hopefully we will have those starting Monday. As Barb said, they will be leaving this weekend too and I told her to keep her eye on the weather. Dave & Mary should have made it back to Illinois today and Chet & Irma are in Bethany MO. They should make it home to Neillsville tomorrow. Enjoy these photos! Pretty unbelievable for April!!!


Tuesday, April 03, 2018

Headed North

Butch and I will be headed north this weekend. If you have Magnolia news and want it posted you can send it to me by email and I will be happy to post it for you. Magnolia Park/Village has enjoyed 18 years of free advertising and promotion from these blog entries and I will continue to do so.




Thank You from Craig Hodge



"I want to thank everyone from the Magnolia family who went out of their way to do something special in memory of Kim. I appreciate your love and send it back to you."
Thank You All,
Craig Hodge




Sunday, April 01, 2018

Pop can Cactus

Don Knorr put this lighted cactus together for the Van Houweling's patio. Now everyone will want one!!


Eastern-Eyed Click Beetle

Peggy and I walked by Eldon this afternoon and he was sitting on his steps playing with a bug. He said he didn't know what it was so I came home and looked it up. This is exactly what it looked like.

The harmless Eastern-Eyed Click Beetle's large eyespots simultaneously distract and mesmerize.

Howdy, BugFans,









If you look up “Icky-bug” in an insect book, it will not lead you to this beetle, nor anywhere else, for that matter.  In their youths, the BugLady’s sisters had huge (HUGE) aversions to these blameless beetles.  Consequently, the BugLady was sometimes compelled to put a few beetles in little boxes and gift her sisters with them, enjoying the resulting agitation (acts for which, alas, she feels no remorse).
“Icky-bugs” are actually Click beetles (family Elateridae), a.k.a snapping beetles or skipjacks. 

 The hard-coated click beetle grubs, which may spend four or more years in that stage, are sometimes called “wireworms” (especially the larger species); they live in soil or rotten wood or under bark.  Wireworms of the genus Melanotus enjoy eating corn, potatoes, grains and turf grasses (they are said to locate plant material in the soil by homing in on the carbon dioxide gradients as they travel about in tunnels made by other critters)(though they are perfectly capable of digging their own tunnels).  Some species of wireworms are important predators on agricultural pests in the soil; adults typically eat plant material but are not considered pests.  Moles, shrews, insectivorous birds, spiders and mantises are among their predators.  CBs overwinter as larvae or as adults.



A June bug that has flipped over onto its back may wallow around for a while, waving its legs and feeling sorry for itself, but the click beetle has a spiffy mechanism for righting itself immediately.  If you look at the ventral (underside) of these beetles you can see a spine that extends back from the first thoracic segment and you can see a matching grove on the second thoracic segment (unlike other beetles, its head and first thoracic segment can bend toward segments two and three).


To right itself, the click beetle first “arches”, then suddenly curls, and with an audible “click,” snaps the spur into the groove, which somersaults it into the air.  In his “Field Guide to Insects of North America,” Kaufman says that they are also called “jackknife beetles.”  The BugLady totally does not get the physics of this trick (the opposite arrangement – that the spring would be caused by the sudden release of the spine rather than by its sudden engagement – seems more plausible), but she accepts it, like pole vaulting, because the results are inarguable.
At any rate, the trick is used to get right-side-up  as well as to escape from predators (which will often drop an EE that performs a vigorous “click” while in-hand/beak).  Sometimes an EEE will launch itself into flight during the arc of its leap; more often it returns to earth, where it may tuck in its legs and play possum until its predator moves on.
The impressive EASTERN EYED ELATER or Big-eyed click beetle (Alaus oculatus) fell onto a burdock leaf as the BugLady mowed the grass nearby.  According to bugguide.net, there are six Alaus species in North America, one, appropriately named Alaus myops, has much smaller eyespots (find a nice account of the species at http://bugeric.blogspot.com/2014/06/eyed-elaters.html).  An EEE measures an inch-and-a half long +, and an energetic “click” can send it several inches in the air (the BugLady has seen small EEs propel themselves six or more inches into the air).  Yes, it can fly: http://bugguide.net/node/view/56708/bgimage.  Its spectacular “eyes” and mottled white speckles are said to provide good camouflage, and the false eyes are designed to terrify predators.  It feeds on nectar.  EEEs are found in woodlands throughout North America and well south into Central America.




Twice in a blue moon

Taken last night on Rose Street