Sunday, August 27, 2017

Did You See It?

This past Monday, August 21, was the big day . . . the day of The Great American Eclipse! It was all a "certain someone" around the house could talk about - and all I could do to just smile sweetly and say "oh, really? How fascinating!" over and over again. The best part was that we were able to take time away from the office, enjoy lunch with Carl and Marita, and watch the moon pass in front of the sun. It was actually pretty neat!
Setting up for the watch party was an all-paws-on-deck situation. Bibbers led the troops down the slope, north of the garage (where we were sheltered from the breezey conditions.)
 Bibbers and Wilson took up preliminary postions behind our row of chairs.
I don't know, Marita - he's your son.
Scott tested the idea of using his welder's helmet to view the eclipse but chose to use the regulation paper glasses for safe viewing.
It was a beautiful day to watch! Omaha was not in the path of totality but we did experience nearly 99% (Scott can tell you the exact percentage.) It didn't get very dark; it just looked like a storm was coming. We didn't experience any odd animal behavior (we thought maybe the turkeys would fly up to their usual cottonwood roost) but the crickets started chirping. So - all in all - an interesting experience and a free pass for a few hours away from work. 
We Hope You Enjoyed this Special Event!

August is for . . . Birthdays!

The noTTafarm family celebrated three special birthdays in August.
My Daddy, Ray
We spent a fun weekend in Kearney to celebrate Dad's 80th birthday on August 5th. Mom and niece Chelsie organized a wonderful backyard barbeque and invited loads of people. It was a great event!

 Scott's Dad, Carl and our Great Niece, Sophie
It's always a party when Sophie visits from Minnesota . . . but it's even more fun when we celebrate her August 10th birthday on her great grampa's birthday (August 16). Sophie turned nine this year and was so excited to tell us all about her recent trip to Portland to see her Aunt Kate and Uncle Alessio and Uncle Pat and Aunt Kathleen. Carl was happy to share his big day (#83) with everyone's favorite redhead.
Happy Birthday!

Last Breath of Garden Arch

The cottonwood flower bed east of the house continues to be the bain of my summertime existence. Over the past seven years, I've tried to whip it into shape and garner some sort of order within the randomness of the vintage and new plants - not to mention the rotting retaining timbers and the oddity of things found buried in the dirt. <sigh> I'm tired, just typing about it!

One remnant of the garden's life with noTTafarm's previous owners is the arch created from plumbing pipe and chicken wire, placed in the center of a partial-brick pathway that circumvents the bed. With its wood supports crumbling, I was able to convince Scott that the time had come to take it down on August 13.
With a tow rope in hand and the Ranger at his side, anything is possible - including the quick and easy removal of the old structure.
Pretty simple, actually. Just loop the rope around . . .  
. . . secure the ends to the Ranger's tow hook then . . . 
 . . . pull!  And it's going, 
 going, 
 gone!
The stucture came down in a tangled mess. 
In true Norgard fashion, the legs of the arch were set in a thick concrete slab which Scott set free with the use of his cordless reciprocating saw.
The pipes were salvaged and placed in the barn; you never know when they will come in handy! 
 With the removal process complete, I turned my attention to raking out two years' worth of cottonwood leaves.
Ta Da!
The clean - although not very secure - pathway. 
The next problem is these timbers...they're about 75% gone and not necessarily safe to walk on. Perhaps I can convince Scott that it's time to tear them out, add a truckload of soil, and expand the flower bed. But that would create even more space for weeds to grow. I need to rethink that idea . . .
Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!

Rocket Says "Hi!"

Since I've got some catching-up to do with the blog, I thought I'd start with a picture of our buddy, Rocket. He's our sole half-wild roaming outdoor cat of late. And though he has been kinda rough on our three boys, he's beginning to calm down. I still don't trust him completely but he's got such a sweet face. Plus, I think it's cute that our neighbors know him as "Wilbur" - which I'm sure you agree is a great name for a cat.
Happy August, Everyone!